Royal thief pleads guilty to stealing 77 valuable items
A Buckingham Palace employee has pleaded guilty to stealing a total of 77 items from the royal residence between 11 November 2019 and 7 August 2020.
Adamo Canto, from North Yorkshire in the UK reportedly stole multiple items, including an official signed photo of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, a signed photo of the Duke of Sussex and a royal state banquet photo album of US President Donald Trump’s state visit.
Some of the items were incredibly valuable, with an approximate worth of thousands of dollars in resale value.
Other items stolen by the 37-year-old including a Companion of Bath medal belonging to Vice Admiral Master Tony Johnstone-Burt, who is the Master of the Household.
The medal was sold on eBay for £350 (AUD$635).
The theft came to light when Vice Admiral Johnstone-Burt noticed his medal was missing as he was required to wear it for Trooping the Colour, the Queen’s birthday celebration, this year.
"I discovered my Companion of Bath medal and box for sale," his court statement read. "It was up for sale for £500 (AUD$907). However, it had been sold for £350 (AUD$635)."
When Police searched his home they realised Canto had stolen the items as he was carrying out his cleaning duties, as due to the pandemic, he was allowed access to areas he normally would be barred from.
In total, 77 items were taken including royal memorabilia stolen from the linen room, the Royal Collection ticket office, the Queen’s Gallery shop, the Duke of York’s storeroom as well as things belonging to staff members.
The court heard Canto began selling off the stolen items on eBay and while they were being sold for "well under" their real value, he tallied up £7,741 (AUD$14,053). The value of some of the items taken is thought to be between £10,000 (AUD$18,155) and £100,000 (AUD$181,551).
Canto has now pleaded guilty and is out on conditional bail. He will be sentenced at a later date.