Royal Security

[ChanelWindsor]

I thought it would be awesome to start a thread about royals and their bodyguards. I havent seen many pics of royals with their BG's but i know they have them.

[acdc1]

Didn't Princess Stephanie date or marry her bodyguard? I can't remember if Daniel Ducruet was a bodyguard or not.

[Little_star]

Queen Rania's bodyguard has been photographed with her many times. There's a thread about it already
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...uard-8763.html

[TheTruth]

As for Diana, there's already this thread : http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...rds-13135.html

[Henri M.]

In the Netherlands the members of the royal family are protected by the Royal Marechaussee, a sort of elite police force. This is for the general security of palaces, estates and during transports. The visible guards are just a part. More important are the cameras and the electronic security systems and other provisions to make the palaces 'terror proof'.

The physical security is done by members of the Royal- and Diplomatic Protection Service, a special unit from the Corps National Police Services.

The main members of the Royal House (The Queen, The Prince of Orange and his family, Princess Margriet and her spouse) are secured 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In- and outside the Netherlands. When Princess Máxima is visiting relatives and friends in Buenos Aires, she will have security in her slipstream. This will be a considerable number of persons because, no matter where you are, their contracts and shifts, hours off duty and prescribed rest are respected.

The two younger sons of The Queen do not live in the Netherlands: Prince Friso lives in London and Prince Constantijn in Brussels. They are protected when going in public, by security officers from Her Majesty's Embassies in London and Brussels.

I will see if I can see pictures, but in general any man in a costume with an 'ear' surrounding a royal is a bodyguard.

[help_ful2002]

Do Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum also have guards or its only for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum ?

[magnik]

Originally Posted by acdc1

Didn't Princess Stephanie dat
e or marry her bodyguard? I can't remember if Daniel Ducruet was a bodyguard or not.

Within two years he had been appointed a Palace bodyguard with responsibility for Prince Albert. In 1991, he was appointed by Prince Rainier to accompany his daughter Princess Stéphanie as bodyguard on her ill-fated tour to promote her record album.
Ducruet began an affair with the princess, who bore him two children. Son Louis was born in 1992 only 10 months after the birth of his first child from his former girlfriend. Their daughter, Pauline, was born in 1994. Ducruet married Princess Stéphanie in a civil ceremony on July 1, 1995.
Daniel Ducruet - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Harold]

All reigning royal families have protection from security services. Can we start a list of who or what agency is responsible for protecting the various monarchs? I know in the United Kingdom the royals are protected by a special section of the Metropolitan Police. I assume that the other monarchs (Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, etc.) are protected by the police agencies of their countries? How is the decision made concerning which royals get security? At some point the relationship of some relatives becomes too remote, right?

[TLLK]

This is an interesting question. I wonder who might have some answers.

[LadyK]

Any royal who visits the US is (usually) automatically put under the care of the Secret Service or federal police. The same is true for other visiting dignitaries and heads of state, such as the British Prime Minister. However, most royals travel with their personal security teams.

I expect that all the royals who serve public functions are eligible to receive some sort of protection, as needed. Lesser royals probably need, and receive less protection. For example, I expect (this is just my guessing) that Prince Friso and Princess Mabel do not have full time, twenty-four seven bodyguards following them around London, but WA and Maxima do have 24-7 protection.

[Harold]

I read in an article about Prince William and Kate's trip to Scotland that they flew a commercial flight with only one bodyguard. I would have thought he would have had more than one guard.

[RoyalProtocol]

Living in Northern Ireland we have very strict Royal security, The visit is kept top secret until the Royal has moved on to the next engagement and we never know when they are coming. Though when you get used to it you can work out when a visit will be, a traffic announcement for Hillsborough where a Garden Party is to be held is often a good clue.

[CyrilVladisla]

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was a member of the Royal Life Guards.
According to tumblr. about Frederik Crown Prince of Denmark:
Prince Frederik was literally a member of his own staff of bodyguards.

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by CyrilVladisla

Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark was a member of the Royal Life Guards.
According to tumblr. about Frederik Crown Prince of Denmark:
Prince Frederik was literally a member of his own staff of bodyguards.

He was a member of the regiment, but he never served in a guards battalion.
He was a recruit in the Royal Lifeguards Regiment.
Then went straight to the NCO school and served as a sergeant, before going to the officers academy.
Once a first lieutenant he served in the Guards Hussars.
- So, no, he never stood guard at Amalienborg.

But Joachim stood guard for his grandmother, Queen Ingrid, at Gråsten.

[amaryllus]

If there was an imminent Threat toward a Royal family or God Forbid a Royal residence bombing what protocols are in place for the Safety of the senior Royal persons in various countries? Or maybe that is classified for obvious reasons.

[Muhler]

Originally Posted by amaryllus

If there was an imminent Threat toward a Royal family or God Forbid a Royal residence bombing what protocols are in place for the Safety of the senior Royal persons in various countries? Or maybe that is classified for obvious reasons.

For the DRF: That's where the adjutants come in. Depending on the situation.
The police and the military (Royal Lifeguard Regiment) protects the royals on a daily basis.
- In case of a terrorist attack on a palace, they will be the first line of defense. Holding the terrorists at bay until reinforcements from the police and heavier reinforcements from the Royal Lifeguard's guards battalion stationed a kilometer or so from say Amalienborg to arrive.

At an attack on Amalienborg the police will arrive within minutes and I'll estimate the army will be there in at least platoon size within twenty minutes.
Attacks on palaces outside Copenhagen: The entire guards company attached to protect that particular palace will be stationed on the grounds, ready to be deployed within minutes. We are here talking about perhaps two platoons.

At the terror attack in Copenhagen in February. The guards around Amalienborg were reinforced with regulars and perhaps a handful of special forces as well, that is not clear. Apart from police officers.

If there is a major attack on Denmark, where the situation is unclear, key persons are to be removed to a safe place until the situation is resolved. That would at the very least be at the palaces, behind heavy security. Or if the threat is very serious or the attack is very severe, QMII and Frederik will be flown to bunkers in Jutland.

If a royal is on the job somewhere in the country and such an attack takes place. It's PET reinforced with additional uniformed police officers who will provide protection. But it's the adjutants who will ensure the royal is moved to a safe location and secured there. The reason is very simple: Colonel Jensen, who is adjutant for say Mary, will call the relevant military HQ and commandeer military units and/or helicopters to evacuate the royal. (That's not something police officer Hansen can do and expect to be obeyed). Very likely to a military base nearby. Here the adjutant will formally take charge of the military protection of the royal. In reality it will be the local unit. Be that from the regular military or Home Guard, perhaps supported by the police.
It's the job of the PET officers to keep the royal safe until they reach a safe location or the military takes over.

- So there is a terrorist alert. Mary is at once taken away by PET, while her adjutant call in reinforcements. At first she is likely taken to the local police station or a hotel, that can be easily protected. Initially by police.
A little while later regular military units should arrive to take over. Then Mary under heavily armed guard will be taken to a safe place, probably a military installation and kept there until the situation is more clear.
If for whatever reason the regular military is unable to reach Mary within a couple of hours, the local Home Guard should by now have been mobilized and they will take over the protection of Mary along with the police, until she can be evacuated or the regular military takes over or the situation becomes more clear.

If a member of the DRF is abroad during a major terrorist attack in that country. It will be the responsibility of of that country to keep say Mary safe until she can be evacuated. If the country is insecure, it's not unlikely that FET agents will be flown in to protect her until she can be evacuated. Or alternatively special forces, who will ensure her safety and escort her and her entourage to a chartered or military plane (probably a Hercules or Gulf Stream) and flown out.

During an official visit by QMII and PH to Egypt in the 70's troubles broke out and QMII was basically evacuated to a commercial plane and flown out. She wasn't in direct danger as such, but the situation was unclear.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by amaryllus

If there was an imminent Threat toward a Royal family or God Forbid a Royal residence bombing what protocols are in place for the Safety of the senior Royal persons in various countries? Or maybe that is classified for obvious reasons.

I'm pretty sure there are security protocols in place to protect all senior royals, especially the monarch (as he or she is after all the country's Head of State) and his/her immediate family (consort and children).

Royal residences in general are very secure and are normally not open to the public. The probability of a successful direct attack on a royal palace or castle is very low then IMHO (in a way, it would be like trying a direct attack on the White House for example). My biggest concern is actually with royal children who now attend regular schools, where the level of security is not that high, and with public appearances , especially by the King or Queen, and /or Crown Princes/Princesses, where they are frequently in open spaces surrounded by large crowds (something that the president of the United States for example never does anymore these days for security reasons).

[princess gertrude]

Thanks for creating this thread. I immediately wondered the same kind of things when they put Brussels (Belgium) on lockdown. Where would the royals have gone (weekend homes outside of Brussels)? What about the former king and queen?

[Blog Real]

I also thought the same. Where was the royal family?

[Osipi]

What first came to my mind when seeing the question on protocol for protecting the royal families in times of terror alerts is George VI and Queen Elizabeth and their princesses setting an example by not fleeing during WWII and the London bombings but remaining steadfast yet we had to know that all precautionary measures were in place to protect the royal family.

In these uncertain times, I'm sure there is a very high level of intelligence and protective forces surrounding the residences and the royals themselves but I would imagine that the royals themselves want to keep doing their everyday things setting an example that we cannot and should not live in fear.