Another former servant of the British royal family has decided to speak out, this time to defend Prince Charles.

Simon Solari (46) had worked closely with both Prince Charles and princess Diana for 15 years and now runs his own chauffeur company.

He said the ex-servant who made the claims about witnessing a tryst between the heir to the British throne and a member of the palace staff would not have had the opportunity to do so.

"The royal household operates a very strict system on military lines, with specific servants having specific roles. The incident at the centre of these allegations about the Prince of Wales simply could not have happened," he has told a London newspaper.

"I have never spoken publicly about my service before but I feel compelled to speak out now as I feel the Prince of Wales is being unfairly maligned."

For his part, Prince Charles has been holding talks with close family members and key aides over the crisis. Sources said he discussed ways to put an end to the rumours with elder son Prince William and companion Camilla Parker Bowles over dinner at his residence on Sunday night.

Latest reports indicate Charles, who has no immediate public engagements at the start of the week, may be contemplating a personal TV appearance to quash the allegations.

Meanwhile, Charles's his private secretary Sir Michael Peat issued a statement denying having questioned his sexual preferences.