Charles, King of Googles

Rumours about Prince Charles's private life made him the hottest topic last year among British users of the Google Internet search engine.

He topped a list of the ten most requested words for 2003 - after not featuring at all the previous year.

The allegations were made by George Smith, a former valet and self- confessed alcoholic who claimed he witnessed an incident between Charles and a servant.

The media were banned from repeating his allegations, so the gossip-hungry public turned to the Internet for details.

As a result, Charles was the most searched-for person, company or product in Britain. He finished ahead of the BBC1 soap opera, EastEnders. Surprisingly, Winnie-the-Pooh was third.

Rugby World Cup hero Jonny Wilkinson proved his new-found superstar status by coming fourth, with David Beckham sixth. The budget airline easyJet was fifth.

Michael Jackson, who faces child abuse charges, was seventh. He was followed by the cult film 2 Fast 2 Furious, Paris Hilton - the hotel group heiress whose homemade porn video was leaked on the Internet - and The Simpsons.

Worldwide, Britney Spears topped the list, followed by Harry Potter and the Matrix. Beckham was fifth.