The new allegations had their roots in a 2007 incident in which one of Murdoch's tabloid editors at News of the World, along with a private investigator named Glen Mulcaire, were jailed for illegally hacking into cell phones associated with the royal family. But the phone tapping was much bigger—look who else was a victim:

The BBC has learned that Rebekah Wade, the editor of the Sun, a sister paper of the News of the World, was among 75 people identified by police as having had phone messages monitored by Mulcaire.
Ms Wade - soon to become chief executive of the papers' parent company News International - was informed at the time but declined to press charges, according to BBC business editor Robert Peston.

Yes: one of Murdoch's tabloids was tapping the phone of the editor of another of Murdoch's tabloids, allegedly. It's roughly the equivalent of...well there really is no US equivalent. And you better believe an American editor would be pressing some god damn charges, then perhaps buying some guns. Or at least complaining loudly.

It's truly incredible. And now Rebekah Wade (pictured) is the boss of the entire paper that spied on her! News Corp., ladies and gentlemen. It's not a job—it's a way of life.
[BBC, Previously. Pic: Getty]

Wade recently got hitched with Charlie Brooks, a longtime racehorse trainer who started up a little sex toy business back in '02:

Charlie Brooks, who set up a business selling sex toys after quitting racing, posted the catalogues to parents at Cheam Hawtreys School - where Prince Philip is also a former pupil.

The A Little Something for the Weekend brochure offered a range of saucy products including vibrators and boxer shorts featuring phonebox sex cards.

That shows character! Tatler has a story in its newest issue about Brooks' wooing of Wade, which is summarized by the Guardian. They know famous wealthy people! And the powerful! They are quite the toast of the leisure class!

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"When Charlie Brooks wakes up in the mornings at his barn in Oxfordshire, he likes nothing better than to fly to Venice from Oxford airport with his soon-to-be-wife Rebekah Wade, the dazzling redhead editor of The Sun, for lunch at Harry's Bar.
"Later in the day, after shopping and sightseeing, the couple fly back to London for dinner at Wiltons in Jermyn Street." (...)

"When they're not in Venice, Charlie and Rebekah go on holiday with the Freuds on their boat... the Oppenheim Turners at their house in St Tropez... and with the Daventrys in the country.

Also Wade was once arrested for assaulting her former husband, a British soap opera star! Just goes to show the fundamental class of the Brits. Meanwhile, Rebekah Wade's US counterpart, Col Allan, is just drunk.
[Pic via and via]

Rebekah Wade, the editor of the Sun in London, recalls Murdoch telling a joke after a few drinks, as they wait for Robert Thomson to arrive at a posh London restaurant. "God this is brilliant...what's the difference between a fridge and poofter?" Murdoch booms to Wade. "Well, when you pull the meat out of the fridge, it doesn't fart!" But, then, seeing Thomson coming into the restaurant, Murdoch urgently whispers, "For God's sake, don't tell Robert what I said. He's a gentrified man...very clever."

Nice, Rupert, very classy.

In related news: there are few pursuits more fruitless than arguing with a review of your book, but that's what Wolff does on his blog in response to the negative review of his book The Man Who Owns the News, "a biography of Rupert Murdoch, is also implicitly about the failures of the Times and its publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr."

Maslin herself views Murdoch with contempt, if not downright nausea. There is no aspect of his singular success or peculiar character that she finds compelling. He’s just loathsome—not least of all, it’s fair to assume, because Murdoch is the most likely buyer of the beleaguered Times... Maslin’s review seems to be so much more about the terrible dread that has enveloped the Times as it awaits its fate—quite probably Murdoch himself—than it is about my portrait of the man.

Yeah, but the review is from Janet Maslin, who is like the Sarah Palin of the New York Times.

UPDATE: According to Portfolio's Jeff Bercovici, Kelly missed the mark with his suggestion today that News editor Martin Dunn was on his way out in favor of Wallace. "I'm definitely tied in for the next couple of years, at least, and probably longer," Dunn said, citing his renewed contract. UPDATE: The Mirror's parent company, Trinity Mirror, confirms that Wallace rejected a job offer to man the News from owner Mort Zuckerman. UPDATE again: We asked uber-flack Steve Rubenstein whether there was any truth to the rumor that Allan was on his way out at the Post. "Simply not true. You are being spun," he told us. Managing editor Jesse Angelo concurs: "Puh-leeze, that is nonsense. Ridiculous on so many levels.
Your tipster is clearly smoking crack (or lamely carrying water for Martin Dunn after Keith Kelly piece today)." Drama! Intrigue! Conspiracy! Crack addicts! Spinmeistering! Ah, just another Friday at the New York Post.