The BBC's apologised for revealing that the Queen personally raised concerns about the case of Abu Hamza with the government.

Their Security Correspondent Frank Gardner earlier reported that Her Majesty told him she was upset that there was no way to arrest the radical Muslim cleric ... but the corporation now says that should have stayed private, and has sent a letter to Buckingham Palace to say sorry.

Hamza's expected to be extradited from Britain to the US soon ... after the European Court of Human Rights rejected his final appeal.