Phone hacking trial: Rebekah Brooks and Andy Coulson 'had six-year affair' Now the point that I am going to make in relation to that letter is that throughout the relevant period, what Mr Coulson knew, Mrs Brooks knew too. And what Mrs Brooks knew, Mr Coulson knew too. That's the point. Because it is clear from that letter that as at February 2004 they had been having an affair which had lasted at least six years. So that takes us right back to 1998, which is the whole of the conspiracy period. Let me be clear about why I am telling you this, it isn't to intrude into their privacy - it has that effect of course. It is of no real significance to this prosecution how people choose to behave, this isn't in any way a moral judgment. Mrs Brooks and Mr Coulson are charged with conspiracy, and when people are charged with conspiracy the first question the jury have to answer is, how well did they know each other? How much did they trust each other? The letter was found in Word document form on a computer in a cupboard at Mrs Brooks's London home, the jury heard. Describing its contents, Mr Edis said: "It appears that Mr Coulson was seeking to break off the affair... and this is Mrs Brooks' reaction to him telling her that, and it is clearly obvious from the letter that it caused her a great deal of grief." Mrs Brooks wrote that there were things which had happened since Saturday night which she would normally have shared with Coulson, "some important, most trivial," the court was told. She wrote: "The fact is you are my very best friend, I tell you everything, I confide in you, I seek your advice, I love you, care about you, worry about you, we laugh and cry together. In fact without our relationship in my life I am not sure I will cope. Andy Coulson arrives at the Old Bailey on Wednesday Jurors earlier heard a recording of the News of the World's expert snooper at work. A muffled audio tape was played to the jury in which Glenn Mulcaire, the private investigator who was later convicted of phone hacking, easily obtained information he needed to intercept voicemail messages. Mr Mulcaire could be heard calling an operator at the mobile network 02 asking for a "reset" on a phone number which he provided. Through a crackling sound he could be heard joking with the woman, apparently about her workload. She mentioned "congestion" with the volume of text messages. He replied with a joke about "paying double" and the woman could be heard laughing. Mr Edis explained to the jury that what had been going on was a request to reset the password. "He gives them a network password which he has got from somewhere," he said. He really knew how it worked, he knew the right thing to say and was quite chatty. She didn't seem at all concerned. No doubt they have got a lot tighter about the security settings, but the fact of the matter is that in those days it was perfectly possible for someone like Mr Mulcaire to get information he needed in order to hack phones. The jury was shown emails, telephone records and notes closely linking Mr Mulcaire and Ian Edmondson, a former News of the World head of news, around the time that Lord Freddie Windsor and the former Labour Cabinet minister Tessa Jowell and her husband David Mills were targeted. An email sent to News International from Mr Mulcaire entitled "Fred Windsor" said "mob" then provided a number followed by a mailbox number and the phrase "press, star, pin." Mr Edis said: "That is what you do. He is telling Edmondson how to phone hack Fred Windsor, we say. You have to ask yourselves whether there is any other possible explanation. There was also an email in April 2006 giving Ms Jowell and Mr Mills's mobile numbers and other details, followed by a comment: "Lots of traffic both ways, also looks like she is selling up." Mr Edis said: "You are going to have to decide what that could possibly mean other than phone hacking." Members of the Royal family, celebrities and Cabinet ministers were targeted by phone hackers and corrupt public officials were bribed during a 10-year conspiracy at tabloid newspapers overseen by Mrs Brooks and Mr Coulson, the Old Bailey heard yesterday. News International journalists intercepted at least 13 voicemails belonging to Lord Freddie, the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, as well as listening to messages left by Princes William and Harry for their private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the jury was told. Mrs Brooks, 45, who edited The News of the World and The Sun before being promoted to chief executive of Rupert Murdoch's News International, is accused of conspiracy to intercept voicemails, conspiracy to cause misconduct in public office and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Mr Coulson, 45, who later became Prime Minister David Cameron's director of communications, is facing charges related to phone hacking and to alleged corrupt payments. They are standing trial with six other people, including Mrs Brooks's racehorse trainer husband Charlie, 50, Stuart Kuttner, 73, a former News of the World managing editor, Mr Edmondson, 44, and Clive Goodman, 56, the Sunday tabloid's former royal editor. Also in the dock at Court 12 of the Old Bailey are Mrs Brooks" former personal assistant, Cheryl Carter, 49, and Mark Hanna, 50, News International's former security chief.