One of the clients, Lord Arthur Somerset, was an equerry to the Prince of Wales but he, as well as the brothel keeper, Charles Hammond, managed to flee abroad before a prosecution could be brought. The rentboys, who also worked as messenger boys for the Post Office, were given light sentences and none of the clients were prosecuted. After the story appeared in the press, one of the alleged clients, the Earl of Euston, successfully sued for libel and cleared his name. The British press never named Prince Albert Victor, and there is no evidence he ever visited the brothel, but his inclusion in the rumours has coloured biographers' perceptions of him since.