Army
MoD Investigates 'Snorting Major' Claims
The Ministry of Defence is investigating claims that a senior British Army Officer snorted a line of powder while on duty at St James's Palace.
A video of the alleged incident is on the Sun newspaper's website, which has reported the story.
The footage, shot on a mobile phone is very fuzzy, low quality, and was apparently filmed a week ago in the Officers Mess at the Royal palace.
The 30 second clip appears to show an Army Captain chopping up a substance with a plastic card on a ceremonial sword. An Army Major with the Coldstream Guards then bends over the blade and snorts the substance. A woman is heard shouting to him to stop, but he carries on.
At the time the film was recorded, the officers were reportedly on duty, and still had 13 hours to go.
The footage was mistakenly posted on a messaging service for personnel, and has subsequently been taken down.
A fuller version of the video, which is still circulating on social media, seems to suggest it was snuff being snorted. Snuff is made from ground tobacco and became popular in Europe in the 17th century. In recent years smoking bans have once again seen it rise in popularity.
In a statement, the MoD said the Army expects all personnel to stick to its high standards and any found to fall short are disciplined robustly. An investigation is under way.
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