King Charles III Comments on Post Office Scandal
The oldest surviving victim of the Post Office scandal, Betty Brown, has revealed that King Charles III described the scandal as a "dreadful thing" that "should never have happened."
Mrs Brown, aged 93, shared that the King made this remark during her investiture ceremony where she received her Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
During the ceremony, Mrs Brown requested that His Majesty speak to the prime minister to ensure those responsible for the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters are investigated by the police and held accountable.
Describing the experience of meeting the monarch and receiving the honour, she said it was "lovely" and that she "never ever dreamt that this would happen."
"The reason that I'm here is very sad and I don't forget that. All the heart ache of the families that this has destroyed, the heart ache of children left with nothing, that still hurts, it'll always hurt,"
She dedicated the honour to "all the sub postmasters that we have lost."
Background of the Post Office Scandal
Mrs Brown was among hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly accused of theft or false accounting between 1999 and 2015. These accusations stemmed from errors in the Horizon IT system, which incorrectly indicated missing funds from branch accounts.
The scandal is considered one of the largest miscarriages of justice in British legal history.
Mrs Brown was compelled to leave her Post Office branch in County Durham in 2003, despite her late husband Oswall having paid over £50,000 of their savings to cover supposed shortfalls that did not exist. The couple had jointly managed the branch since 1985.
Recognition and Campaigning
Mrs Brown was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of her services to justice, particularly her campaigning efforts on behalf of sub-postmasters affected by the scandal.
In an interview with the BBC, she noted that King Charles III was "very knowledgeable all about Horizon."
"I said to him...would you tell your prime minister and your ministers that justice has no cost...There is no cost to justice. Doesn't matter what it costs, justice must be done,"
Ongoing Police Investigation and Funding Concerns
Recently, police chiefs warned that the criminal investigation into the Post Office scandal could face a delay of up to five years unless additional funding is secured. Commander Stephen Clayman, who leads the national police inquiry, stated that the investigation team would need to double in size to adhere to the current timeline of submitting files for potential prosecutions by late next year or early 2028.
A government spokesperson described the scandal as "an appalling injustice" and confirmed that requests for further funding are under consideration.
Mrs Brown's Reflections and Compensation Details
Mrs Brown expressed that she felt "honoured and humbled" to receive the OBE and that she had finally "been heard by the system." She also noted satisfaction that the public continues to learn about the scandal.
"A lot of them think we've had compensation, we haven't had a penny compensation. We've had what they call redress, which means they've given back the money to us that they stole from us,"
She was one of the original 555 victims involved in the landmark group legal action led by Sir Alan Bates against the Post Office.
Her branch was among the most successful in the region before she was forced to sell it at a loss.
Reflecting on the impact of the scandal, Mrs Brown previously stated it "absolutely destroyed my whole life."
Both Mrs Brown and Sir Alan Bates participated in the Group Litigation Order compensation scheme, which offered claimants the option of accepting a fixed sum of £75,000 or pursuing individual settlements.
After receiving her payout in November 2025, Mrs Brown told the BBC:
"At last, after 26 years, they've recognised justice,"
adding it was a "pity they took so long."
Compensation and Official Apology
Government data indicates that over £1.5 billion has been paid to more than 12,300 claimants through various Post Office redress schemes.
When the official inquiry's first report was published in July, the Post Office issued an "unreserved" apology for the suffering caused to postmasters and their families.
