British probe over 'bullying' of first woman Beefeater

November 03, 2009 02:15:10 PM

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Two Beefeaters at the Tower of London have been suspended and a third is under investigation over allegations they bullied the first woman ever to join their ranks, an official said Monday.

The Sun newspaper reported that Moira Cameron, 44, had faced a "hate campaign" from disgruntled male Beefeaters at the Tower, one of London's most popular tourist attractions and the home of the Crown Jewels.

An unnamed source at the Tower told the newspaper that some of her colleagues resented the attention Cameron had received since she became the first woman Beefeater in 2007 after 522 years of exclusively male guards.

Her uniform -- one of the most instantly recognisable symbols of Britain -- had been damaged, an entry about her on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia was tampered with and "harassing" notes were left in her locker, the report said.

Cameron and her 34 male colleagues, who are officially known as yeoman warders, are all former armed forces personnel with over 20 years' service.

A spokeswoman for Historic Royal Palaces, the body which manages the Tower, said Cameron would continue her duties while the internal investigation was carried out.

She said: "We can confirm that three Yeoman Warders are under investigation in response to allegations of harassment; two have been suspended.

"We take such allegations very seriously and our formal harassment policy makes it clear that this is totally unacceptable. We believe everyone is entitled to work in an environment free from any form of harassment, a principle that we expect all our staff to value and uphold."

The investigation is expected to be completed in two to three weeks. "Meanwhile, the Tower of London is a close-knit community and, understandably, this is a difficult time for us all," said the spokeswoman.