Kevin Spacey breached Royal protocol when he 'sat on Queen's throne' during Buckingham Palace tour

Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey may have breached Royal protocol when he allegedly sat on the Queen's throne during a private tour of Buckingham Palace, it has been claimed.

The disgraced House of Cards actor, who is facing allegations of sexual misconduct, was photographed as he allegedly sat on a throne made for the Queen's coronation in 1953.

The private tour is said to have taken place while Spacey was the artistic director of the Old Vic theatre in London, a role he held between 2004 and 2015.

A source told the Sunday Times: "Going anywhere near the thrones is a total no-no. If a member of staff did, there would be disciplinary action. The Queen would not have been amused."

It is not clear whether the Queen was in residence during the visit.

Buckingham Palace confirmed that Spacey was invited to tour the palace by Prince Andrew, the Duke of York.

"Buckingham Palace is home to a number of members of the royal family who, from time to time, host guests in a private capacity. We are not going to comment on speculation about any private meeting of any member of the royal family," read a statement.

Sources said Andrew had no recollection of giving Spacey a palace tour.

In July, the Duke was accused of treating the palace as a "theme park" after he was thought to have invited footballer David Beckham for his daughter Harper's sixth birthday.

There is no indication that Buckingham Palace was aware of Spacey's alleged sexual misconduct at the time. The actor has been accused of making unwanted sexual advances on men, including one who was 14 at the time of the alleged incident.

In response to the allegations, Spacey said: "This story has encouraged me to address other things in my life...I have loved and had romantic encounters with men throughout my life, and I choose now to live as a gay man."

Streaming site Netflix cut all ties with Spacey following the allegations.

The actor was also removed from Ridley Scott's new film All the Money in the World.