Prince Andrew, Duke of York Current Events 6: July 2011-February 2015

[Iluvbertie]

I have no problems recognising him as he hasn't changed that much other than a bit of weight which may not mean he is unfit by the way.

 

[Roslyn]

In pictures, he looks bloated and not the way he used to look. If he lost at least 20 pounds and worked out he might be more easily recognizable. Walking in the garden was at least getting some exercise, too bad the police interrupted him doing something healthy! Maybe he had determined to walk around the garden as many times as possible each week, to get mild exercise. I don't usually recognize him in pictures unless he is identified. Charles and Edward are more distinctively themselves in pictures.

Then it's a good thing you are not one of those employed on the security staff at BP to protect Andrew!

They are employed to protect Andrew as he is now, not as he used to look. They should know what he looks like now, regardless of what he looked like in his youth.

 

[Roslyn]

I have no problems recognising him as he hasn't changed that much other than a bit of weight which may not mean he is unfit by the way.

I don't think he's changed that much either. He still has the same facial features.

And as for being unfit, didn't he engage in some abseiling activity not long ago? And I think I recall a skiing holiday recently. You have to be quite fit to abseil and ski. He's put on a bit of weight but so do most people his age. Doesn't mean he's unfit. The fact he was out for a walk itself is an indication he takes care to keep fit.

 

[Zonk]

Exactly!

Surely Protective Services has a more recent photo of Andrew? Please tell me they aren't looking at a picture that is more than 3 to 5 years old?!

Furthermore, recognizing that BP employs hundreds of people so it would impossible for security (which might have high turnover) to know everyone and certainly not everyone in the extended BRF. But surely, they know who the top 10 (line of succession minus George) and their significant others?

Is that too much to ask?

But really, I take anything with a grain of salt from the Daily Mail.They need something to shake the worst of worst (i.e. some of their readership) who will proceed to complain about Andrew, the free loaders, his kids, etc.

 

[Iluvbertie]

I would certainly expect all the staff at BP to be able to recognise all of the Queen's children and grandchildren and their spouses (with the obvious exception of George who very few of the royals have seen yet so you could understand the protection people not recognising him).

They should also know the other HRH's and their spouses and the Linleys and Chattos.

 

[amaryllus]

If they can't identify someone like Andrew....Hope none of the little royal sprouts every decides to play and seek on the grounds else every poor passing child will be suspect

 

[AdmirerUS]

Don't assume they saw his face. Seen from behind - one 50 some year old guy looks a lot like the rest. If he were in shadows or dappled sunlight - it would make ID even less likely. If he were looking in windows from the garden - he's be even harder to peg. The truth is, we don't know the circumstances.

 

[Roslyn]

This issue does raise some interesting questions about the nature and extent of the security at BP. I would have thought that perhaps there were indoor and outdoor security people, and that they might have some fairly sophisticated technology and security cameras and communicate with walkie-talkie thingies like we see the uniformed police officers use in "The Bill", and that perhaps they might even tell each other when a member of the RF goes wandering around the grounds so they know who should be wandering around out there.

 

[AdmirerUS]

This issue does raise some interesting questions about the nature and extent of the security at BP. I would have thought that perhaps there were indoor and outdoor security people, and that they might have some fairly sophisticated technology and security cameras and communicate with walkie-talkie thingies like we see the uniformed police officers use in "The Bill", and that perhaps they might even tell each other when a member of the RF goes wandering around the grounds so they know who should be wandering around out there.

Absolutely - do they even know when one of the family is there???? And if they do, how do they keep track of them? If they have no system - it is a bad on security. But if they had a system and the Duke ignored it - the bad is on him. Not that he would ever apologize. And we will never know the rest of this story.

 

[Skippyboo]

It seems that one the royals are inside their homes their RPOs leave their sides. The gardens of BP are walled so the RPOs wouldn't have to go with them unlike like KP where we have seen Kate and her RPO walking Lupo. It also seems that regular police protect the palace grounds so they might not know which royal is suppose to be where .

 

[Iluvbertie]

Have we seen Kate and Lupo in the grounds of Kensington Palace or in Kensington Gardens that are open to the public year round - as is the palace itself of course.

 

[Roslyn]

It seems that one the royals are inside their homes their RPOs leave their sides. The gardens of BP are walled so the RPOs wouldn't have to go with them unlike like KP where we have seen Kate and her RPO walking Lupo. It also seems that regular police protect the palace grounds so they might not know which royal is suppose to be where .

But wouldn't there be some liaison between the BP security people and the police coming on duty, and the officers finishing their shift would liaise with those finishing their shift, surely. I doubt police just wander in and out at will any more than anyone else does. And when they report for the duty they should be told which members of the RF are in residence and some sort of effort made to ensure those officers know what those members of the RF look like.

And if the grounds are open to the public year round, as Bertie points out (or at least I think that is what she is pointing out), the need for someone to keep a fix on where the Queen's children, etc., are roaming would seem even more crucial. Perhaps they need microchips!

 

[Iluvbertie]

BPs gardens aren't open year round but the Gardens next to KP which are actually public space and not enclosed.

 

[Roslyn]

BPs gardens aren't open year round but the Gardens next to KP which are actually public space and not enclosed.

Ah! Thanks.

The more I think about it, the more appealing I find my idea of microchipping the Royals.

 

[amaryllus]

(Croc hunter voice) "Oh crikey, what a special sight! A rare Windsor roaming in his natural habitat"

 

[Eden]

(Croc hunter voice) "Oh crikey, what a special sight! A rare Windsor roaming in his natural habitat"

Ha, ha ,ha ,ha ,ha! Love it!

 

[Osipi]

(Croc hunter voice) "Oh crikey, what a special sight! A rare Windsor roaming in his natural habitat"

You've just made my night. Now to go and clean the juice off of my screen.

 

[amaryllus]

Thanks...But the royal security was more like Elmer Fudd "Shh. be vewy, vewy quiet I'm hunting woyals"

 

[sndral]

Absolutely - do they even know when one of the family is there???? And if they do, how do they keep track of them? If they have no system - it is a bad on security. But if they had a system and the Duke ignored it - the bad is on him. Not that he would ever apologize. And we will never know the rest of this story.

That's what I was musing. Either there are procedures in place and the protection officers didn't follow them or somehow the ball was dropped or Andrew didn't follow them - or the procedures in place were inadequate. Interesting that he was detained @ Balmoral in the past for not having proper ID per the reports today. And he was also confronted in the past by security in BP near his mom's apartment when a 'scruffy looking guy' was spotted on camera and armed officers were dispatched to check it out whom he told to f... off. As you say, we'll never know, one just hopes the lapse will be corrected so nothing serious happens.

Ah! Thanks.

The more I think about it, the more appealing I find my idea of microchipping the Royals.

Microchipping is so last century - far better to implant a satellite tag to track them via GPS, IMO. seriously, when my son and I travel together he can find me via tracking my IPhone.

 

[Roslyn]

seriously, when my son and I travel together he can find me via tracking my IPhone.

Ah! But things like tracking IPhones require co-operation on the part of the trackee. If Andrew has the rebellious streak I think he has, he would leave that IPhone where he wanted people to think he was, and go off on a frolic of his own with the untraceable phone he secured himself. The satellite tag sounds good.

 

[Mirabel]

The press really loathes Andrew!


CHRISTOPER WILSON: Just when we're back in love with the royals, that spoilt oaf Andrew tries to wreck it | Mail Online

 

[Duchessmary]

Unfortunately, he does have a reputation for being very arrogant and shouting at people. He's very much "A Queen's son".

 

[Spheno]

wondeful answer
Mac on... Buckingham Palace security | Mail Online

 

[BritishRoyalist]

On The Today Show yesterday Al Roker was saying that Andrew should visit his Mother more often.

They bring up a good point about when it BP it make the US news but if the White House do these things make the news there? Could you imagine Joe Biden walking on the White House lawn and the police telling him to freeze because they don't recognize him?

 

[AdmirerUS]

On The Today Show yesterday Al Roker was saying that Andrew should visit his Mother more often.

They bring up a good point about when it BP it make the US news but if the White House do these things make the news there? Could you imagine Joe Biden walking on the White House lawn and the police telling him to freeze because they don't recognize him?

The Secret Service are wired for sound and know/communicate where those they protect are at all times. For example, when they are in the private residence it's noted when they pass out of it and go down to the kitchen for midnight snack. They know when POTUS walks out into the garden. They have procedures for this and follow those procedures.

 

[ladongas]

After looking at the Bing birdseye map...

I can more easily see why this happened. Of course the Queen's back garden is a lot bigger than mine, and there seems to be fairly thick tree coverage around the perimeter, where Andrew was said to be walking.

Let's say you are a security officer, and in the distance you see a man walking in said garden. You don't recognize him at 50 yards (ordinary looking bloke, not 7 feet tall with red hair), and you have no knowledge of any member of the household being out there. What do you do? Do you think, oh, it's probably one of those kids, I'll ignore him. Or do you think, Blimey! it's another intruder! And since you can't immediately id him, you close on him until you can speak to him, and you don't want to let another intruder get close to the palace.

What are you supposed to say, oh, hello, sir, are you someone entitled to be here, even though I haven't been informed of your likely presence? Or do you say, halt, hands in the air, drop! I'm sure if the officers were close enough to recognize him they would have.

I'd like to think that the stories of Andrew's rage are exaggerated. On the other hand, I really want to know if he put his hands up and dropped to the ground!

 

[Iluvbertie]

On The Today Show yesterday Al Roker was saying that Andrew should visit his Mother more often.

Someone doesn't know much about where Andrew lives - he lives, in London, in the same home as his mother. He lives the rest of the time on the estate at Windsor, at Royal Lodge and then when staying elsewhere in the country is again at The Queen's homes of Balmoral or Sandringham. In fact, except when he is at Royal Lodge he lives in the same home as his mother, although she mightn't be there at the same time.

Effectively he is a 53 year old who still spends a lot of his time living with his mum and dad.

 

[Mirabel]

Say what you like about Charles, I think, given the same situation, he'd have made a joke about it.
It doesn't surprise me that Andrew handled things in the worst way.

 

[royalistbert]

I honestly cannot believe people are still discussing this.

I know I know this is a discussion forum save me the lecture.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Say what you like about Charles, I think, given the same situation, he'd have made a joke about it.
It doesn't surprise me that Andrew handled things in the worst way.

I'd take anything you read in the Daily Mail with a HUGE pinch of salt. They have it in for Andrew. For all we know he didn't give two hoots about it.