The former royal editor of the now-defunct News Of The World has admitted hacking the phones of British royals William and Kate nearly 200 times.
Clive Goodman told the Old Bailey in London he accessed the voicemail on Prince William's phone 35 times and Kate Middleton's on a total of 155 occasions.
It is the first time Mr. Goodman, who was jailed in 2007 for illegally accessing the voicemails on the mobiles of royal aides, has admitted he hacked the couple while working at the tabloid.
But having returned to the witness box after weeks of ill health, he was accused of being more heavily involved in phone hacking with private detective Glenn Mulcaire in 2005 and 2006 than was previously heard.
Jurors were told Kate was even hacked on Christmas Day 2005. The details emerged as Mr. Goodman was being cross-examined by ex-'News Of The World' editor Andy Coulson's lawyer Timothy Langdale QC.
He asked "I'm going to suggest you had direct contact with Glenn Mulcaire significantly before the time you have told us - that you yourself had been hacking on a much wider scale than you have told this court about".
Goodman said he had not been asked a direct question. The witness said he had been assured by the Crown Prosecution Service he would not be charged with any more hacking but no-one had asked him.
When presented with a list of hacking victims, he said "I'm not on trial for hacking", adding "There has been no intention to deceive you or anybody else in relation to phone hacking".
On his arrest in 2006, Mr. Langdale said "It's the one thing you must have been more worried about than anything else that it would become clear you yourself had been hacking members of the royal family".
Goodman replied "I was terrified of the whole thing. I was mortified".
'She was a figure of increasing importance'
Mr. Langdale said Kate Middleton, who was to become the Duchess of Cambridge, was first hacked on October 21st 2005. Mr. Langdale asked the witness why she had been targeted and if he had tasked Mulcaire to do it.
He replied "She was a figure of increasing importance around the royal family. There were discussions about her and Prince William marrying, moving in, settling down. She started to receive semi royal status and things were moving on".
Mr. Langdale said "You are telling us Glenn Mulcaire hacked her without any instruction from you? Did you task him to do that?".
He replied "I do not remember tasking him to do that. It's possible but I do not recall. I have been as open and honest about hacking as I can be but nobody has asked me any questions about this before".
While giving evidence about extra payments made to Mulcaire for hacking the royal household, Goodman said "Let's face it, at this time, Andy Coulson was no stranger to hacking".
He is on trial along with former 'News Of The World' editor Coulson, later British Prime Minister David Cameron's media chief, of authorising illegal payments to public officials
Coulson and Rebekah Brooks, another former editor and later chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's British newspaper arm, are also on trial accused of phone-hacking offences.
All seven defendants on trial deny the charges.
