King Charles tells oldest Post Office scandal victim it 'should never have happened'

The oldest surviving victim of the Post Office scandal said King Charles III told her the affair was a 'dreadful thing' and 'should never have happened'.

Betty Brown, 93, made the remarks after receiving her OBE at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. She said she asked the King to speak to the prime minister about ensuring those responsible for the wrongful prosecutions of hundreds of sub-postmasters face police investigation and prosecution.

She called the meeting and the honour 'lovely' and said she 'never ever dreamt that this would happen'. 'The reason that I'm here is very sad and I don't forget that,' she added. '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 award to 'all the sub postmasters that we have lost'.

Mrs Brown was forced out of her County Durham Post Office in 2003 after Horizon software falsely showed shortfalls. Her late husband, Oswall, had paid more than £50,000 of their savings to cover the non-existent losses. The couple had run the branch together since 1985.

She received the OBE for services to justice after years of campaigning. 'I said to him...would you tell your prime minister and your ministers that justice has no cost,' she said. 'There is no cost to justice. Doesn't matter what it costs, justice must be done.'

Last week, police warned the criminal inquiry could be delayed by five years without millions of pounds in extra funding. Commander Stephen Clayman said the investigation team would need to double in size to meet its target of submitting files by late next year or early 2028. A government spokesperson called the scandal 'an appalling injustice' and said ministers were 'considering requests for further funding'.

Mrs Brown said she was 'honoured and humbled' by the OBE. She added she had finally 'been heard by the system' and was 'pleased that the public are still learning about this'. 'A lot of them think we've had compensation, we haven't had a penny compensation,' she said. 'We've had what they call redress, which means they've given back the money to us that they stole from us.'

Mrs Brown was one of the original 555 claimants in the group action led by Sir Alan Bates. Her branch had been among the most successful in the region before she was forced to sell it at a loss. Both she and Sir Alan Bates took part in the Group Litigation Order compensation scheme, which offered claimants either a fixed £75,000 or the chance to pursue their own settlement.