Rebekah Brooks: a rise to power - in pictures

Rebekah Brooks has spent half her life in Rupert Murdoch's empire Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

15 June 1997: Brooks with her then fiance, Ross Kemp, outside Downing Street for a party hosted by Tony Blair Photograph: Steve Fenton/Rex Features

26 May 2000: Brooks leaves court after giving evidence at the trial of Mohammed Sarwar in Edinburgh Photograph: James Fraser/Rex Features

20 April 2002: Brooks meets the Queen during a reception for the media at Windsor castle Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA

3 September 2002: Brooks as editor of the News of the World Photograph: Emma Boam/Rex Features

8 October 2002: Brooks with Sara Payne, mother of the murdered schoolgirl Sarah Payne at a meeting at the Conservative party conference in Bournemouth to discuss Sarah's Law Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

23 September 2004: Brooks with Piers Morgan after attending a party for the film Layer Cake at Matthew Freud's home in west London Photograph: Rex Features

26 October 2004: Tony Blair speaks to Brooks during a reception in London marking the Newspaper Press Fund's 40th anniversary Photograph: PA

15 June 2005: Brooks sits alongside Andy Coulson, behind Rupert Murdoch and Les Hinton at a service in St Bride's church, London
Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Getty Images

20 June 2007: Brooks with the former racehorse trainer Charlie Brooks. They were married in 2009 Photograph: Rex Features

16 January 2008: Brooks gives evidence to the House of Lords communications committee as part of its inquiry into media ownership Photograph: PA

8 March 2008: Elisabeth Murdoch with Brooks at a lunch for women in business at No 10, hosted by Gordon Brown Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA

7 May 2008: Prince William chats with Brooks before City Salute, an event celebrating and supporting British service personnel and their families Photograph: Tim Graham/Getty Images

16 December 2008: Prince Charles meets Brooks at the Sun Military Awards at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey Photograph: Johnny Green/PA Archive/Press Association Images

2 July 2009: Brooks attends Sir David Frost's summer garden party in London Photograph: Getty Images

6 October 2009: Brooks at the Conservative party conference in Manchester Photograph: Martin Argles for the Guardian

6 October 2009: Brooks holds a copy of the Sun at the Conservative party conference Photograph: Paul Grover/Rex Features

18 March 2010: Brooks with Rupert and James Murdoch at the Cheltenham races Photograph: Indigo/Getty Images

20 July 2010: Brooks receives a fellowship award from the London College of Communication for her contribution to journalism Photograph: Richard Young/Rex Features

7 July 2011: Brooks leaves the office of the News of the World the day it was announced the paper was to close Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

8 July 2011: Newspapers report the closing of the News of the World Photograph: Stewart Stanley/Getty Images

10 July 2011: Brooks with Rupert Murdoch at the Stafford hotel in London Photograph: Matt LLoyd/Rex Features

12 July 2011: Brooks after a meeting with Rupert Murdoch in London Photograph: Kerim Okten/EPA