Two persons were convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment after they were found guilty of trying to blackmail a member of the royal family with drugs and gay sex allegations.

Ian Strachan, 31, and Sean McGuigan, 41, were found guilty of demanding 50,000 pounds from the royal after secretly filming a member of his staff making lurid claims about his boss and “slagging off” other members of the royal household.

The identity of the royal has not been disclosed, as a court order bars journalists from naming the alleged victim or any potential witnesses.

The duo were arrested in September last year in a police sting operation after they contacted the royal to blackmail him, that is, after their attempts to strike a deal with a tabloid failed.

Judge Jeremy Cooke described the offense as one of the “ugliest”.