Royal Security

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Police and MI5 race to foil IED attack on the Queen at World War II anniversary | Daily Mail Online

Sources have told this newspaper that a specific threat was made against the Queen, triggering an urgent review of security arrangements for next weekend’s events.

Other members of the Royal Family, including Prince Charles, who is identified in intelligence reports as another possible target, are also due to attend.

They will join Prime Minister David Cameron, assorted dignitaries, more than 1,000 veterans of the Far East campaign and their families, and serving members of the Armed Forces.

And with thousands of members of the public expected to line the streets around Whitehall and Westminster Abbey, police fear enormous potential for carnage.

The plot is understood to involve a device similar to that used in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing which killed three people and injured more than 260.

In the UK’s most deadly terror attack of recent years – the July 7 London bombings – 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured when four suicide bombers struck on Tube trains and a bus in Central London in 2005.

Typically, having been warned about next week’s planned attack, the Queen indicated her determination to attend the event to ‘honour the fallen’.

Senior members of Scotland Yard’s Royal Protection branch, SO14, have been informed, along with SO1 Specialist Protection, the unit responsible for the security of the Prime Minister and any dignitaries considered to be ‘under threat from terrorist attack’.

The Home Office has also been made aware of the plot.

On Saturday, the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh – a veteran of the war in the Pacific – will first attend a service at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square. From there dignitaries will move to Horse Guards Parade for a traditional military ‘drumhead’ service, a flypast and a wreath-laying ceremony before the set-piece VJ Day parade of veterans and current troops down Whitehall to Westminster Abbey.

All the events will be broadcast live on television by the BBC.

 

[Curryong]

Of course the Queen and other members of the royal family will attend. The Queen has never flinched with regard to perceived threats to her safety and she won't start now. Nevertheless, these reports are very worrying. All it needs is one fanatic with a device moving among large crowds and dozens of spectators are potential targets.

 

[Pranter]

The BRF is pretty tough about these things....have there been any other royal families who have had attempted kidnappings, being shot at, intruders in the home etc....like the Windors have?

I do admire that they get on with it and don't live in a state of fear.



LaRae

 

[Muhler]

There were plans about kidnapping Madeleine of Sweden some years ago.
And of course the Spanish royals faced (and perhaps still do) a very real threat from the Basque seperatists

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

The BRF is pretty tough about these things....have there been any other royal families who have had attempted kidnappings, being shot at, intruders in the home etc....like the Windors have?

I do admire that they get on with it and don't live in a state of fear.



LaRae

In 2009 a madman drove with high speed into a crowd on the moment the Dutch royal family passed by, riding in an open bus. He was aiming for the royal family but instead hit dozens of people. Eight were killed (including himself) and dozens were injured. It was all live on television and caused an immense shock to the usually so calm and laidback Netherlands.



The guy who did the named attack was no terrorist at all, by the way. He had a record of failings at secondary school and in making a career. When he lost his last job, because of a conflict with his employer, apparently something happened in his mind. After the attack his parents told the media that their son had a complicated and depressed life without friends, without relationships. He had an immense anger towards society and THE embodiment of that society is the royal family he hated.

So it are not always the long beards from the desert, so to say. Look at the attacks in Norway. It was not only on that island where Anders Breivik killed youngsters from the Norwegian Labour Party having summer camp. There was also a bomb explosion in Oslo, in the middle of the Government quarter. The King was immediately brought in securiy.

 

[AdmirerUS]

It's interesting that the VJ event is not listed at all on the royal.gov Future Engagements page. This happens all the time with future engagements of younger members of the family, but is less common with the Queen and the DOE. Of course, it is August holidays and anyone that follows Iluvbertie's Royal Engagements page knows the info from the Court Circular can be a bit of a mess. Still, it's a bit unusual to be this close to an event the Queen will attend and have no listing.

 

[TLLK]

Of course the Queen and other members of the royal family will attend. The Queen has never flinched with regard to perceived threats to her safety and she won't start now. Nevertheless, these reports are very worrying. All it needs is one fanatic with a device moving among large crowds and dozens of spectators are potential targets.

Sadly I have to agree with you Curryong. Terrorists know that large crowds are a tempting target.

 

[TLLK]

In 2009 a madman drove with high speed into a crowd on the moment the Dutch royal family passed by, riding in an open bus. He was aiming for the royal family but instead hit dozens of people. Eight were killed (including himself) and dozens were injured. It was all live on television and caused an immense shock to the usually so calm and laidback Netherlands.



The guy who did the named attack was no terrorist at all, by the way. He had a record of failings at secondary school and in making a career. When he lost his last job, because of a conflict with his employer, apparently something happened in his mind. After the attack his parents told the media that their son had a complicated and depressed life without friends, without relationships. He had an immense anger towards society and THE embodiment of that society is the royal family he hated.

So it are not always the long beards from the desert, so to say. Look at the attacks in Norway. It was not only on that island where Anders Breivik killed youngsters from the Norwegian Labour Party having summer camp. There was also a bomb explosion in Oslo, in the middle of the Government quarter. The King was immediately brought in securiy.

And a short time afterward at the Remembrance Day Ceremony in Amsterdam a man with a mental illness started a panic among the crowds gathered. During the minutes of silence he began screaming. Someone dropped a briefcase and the echoing noise sounded like a gunshot. The crowd panicked and people were injured in the chaos.

Like any national event with the Dutch royals and Prime Minister in attendance there was security present but a series of unfortunate and accidental events created a brief but frightening situation.

 

[Duc_et_Pair]

Sadly I have to agree with you Curryong. Terrorists know that large crowds are a tempting target.

I hope a second Apeldoorn is spared. It was pure horror. Imagine that a madman drives with high speed into the mounted cavalry escorte during the Trooping or Prinsjesdag (The Hague), the sheer horror, the panic, the screaming of the people and the animals...



During the wedding of Crown Princess Victoria and when the Dutch King rides out in a ceremonial procession, anyone could see officiers with suitcases walking aside the carriage. It seems that when there is an attack on Victoria or Willem-Alexander, a huge bulletfree screen is unfolded in just a fraction of a second. This can be abused by the way. When the Chinese President was in Amsterdam, some protesters were there against the occupation of Tibet. Immediately Chinese security personnel unfolded screens so that Mr Xi Jinpin was free from "that irritant group"...

 

[Rudolph]

The Queen and members of the BRF aren't going to let this stop them. Irish terrorists have been targeting the family for years. Lord Mountbatten was killed by the IRA.

Its a fact of life for the Queen.

 

[Osipi]

The Queen and members of the BRF aren't going to let this stop them. Irish terrorists have been targeting the family for years. Lord Mountbatten was killed by the IRA.

Its a fact of life for the Queen.

Prime example of the motto "keep calm and carry on". HM has every reason to believe that there will be top notch security surrounding her and with the threat being made public, everyone will be alert and on guard for anything that looks remotely suspicious.

 

[Rudolph]

We wonder why William and Catherine are so concerned about George.

An British ISIS recruiter linked to several terror plots has reportedly been spotted in Birmingham with two suspected jihadis.

Sally Jones - married to Birmingham terror suspect Junaid Hussain - is feared to be planning an atrocity after slipping back into the country.

Special Branch officers are said to be on full alert after the sighting of the fanatic, who has been dubbed ‘Mrs Terror’ after arriving in Syria in 2013 to fight for the extremist group.

A source said: “This is worrying but Special Branch officers are working on this to track her down. Officers are in place at various airports to keep an eye out for her.

“There is intelligence that she was last seen in Birmingham with two individuals, aged 18 and 22.

“Detectives are also keeping an eye on shopping centres and large events.”

Scotland Yard refused to comment on the reported sighting of the mother-of-two.

Read more: ISIS recruiter Sally Jones 'spotted in Birmingham' as fears mount of UK terror attack - Birmingham Mail

 

[MARG]

George isn't easy to get at. Both William and Catherine, not to mention every other member of the BRF are all targets. The BRF are relatively easy to find, William, Catherine, HM, Prince Philip, Charles, Camilla and Sophie all have schedules and public engagements, as do Edward and Harry to a lesser degree.

So, in this new terror, HM and crew have dictated "Keep Calm and Carry On", they've been there and done that. Hiding behind palace walls is not an option. The only extra caution may be around their homes, but to get to the Cambridge kids they'd have to get through security personnel and martial arts trained nannies.

Added: I'd love to know more about the bulletproof screens Duc mentioned are carried by Netherlands Security.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

Prince Philip sparks terror fears after spotted without bodyguards | UK | News | Daily Express

Terror fears for Prince Phillip: Royal spotted using public roads | Latest News | Breaking UK News & World News Headlines | Daily Star
Just some of this long article:

The Duke of Edinburgh, 94, has been seen driving his green Land Rover out of Windsor Castle alone and onto a busy public road without signs of security.

Locals have also spotted him in a horse-drawn carriage on an adjoining road with what appear to be just two stable girls for company.

He takes a public route in favour of a safer gated alternative, before cantering through Windsor Park and across a busy road.

Yesterday security expert Will Geddes voiced concerns that Philip’s habits could land him in trouble.

Will added: “His Close Protection Officer is probably not very happy with the situation.

“The job of a Royal Protection Officer is tough at the best of times because ultimately you’ve got to try and support and facilitate your principal.

“If something happens to his charge, he’s going to be held accountable and responsible, and the finger will be pointed at him.

“It’s an unenviable task being a CPO to someone of that stature.”

Counter-terror expert Tony Schiena added: “A successful attack on a British royal would be a massive blow to the morale of British and coalition forces worldwide.

“Attacks on icons of the free world are obvious targets and a British royal would rank high on the list of those icons.”

Will spoke after one Windsor resident contacted the Daily Star Sunday with concerns about Philip’s routine.

The man, who did not wish to be named, said: “Everyone locally knows Philip’s habits, so it wouldn’t take too much for someone with bad intentions to learn them either.

“There are lots of powerful cameras in the area, but what use will they be if something bad happens?

I know it is the Daily Star, but this article is worth read. The security surrounding Philip, but also other British royals is ridiculously low.

 

[Lumutqueen]

But security is by choice correct? Philip chose to go out by himself.

 

[ROYAL NORWAY]

But security is by choice correct? Philip chose to go out by himself.

Yes this is Phillip being Phillip, but this shouldn't be his his choice. If the Queen, the Pope or the US President wanted to go out for themselves - had it happened? No, it had not.

 

[tommy100]

Well one could say if the media hadn't reported this far fewer people would know about Philip travelling by himself on public roads. Its fine that the media report it (even though personally I would rather they didn't) but lets hope neither the Express or Daily Star do the usual moaning about security expenses being so high when the royal accounts come out in the summer.

I've always had the impression Philip goes about with the smallest amount of security possible.

 

[Marty91charmed]

I was more started to see Philip so freely out and about than to see some sensational titles.

 

[AdmirerUS]

How do we know those are "stable girls?" Could just as easily be security.

 

[MARG]

How do we know those are "stable girls?" Could just as easily be security.

You've got to love the way the media immediately assume that those two women are feeble, helpless little "stable girls"!

Actually, while I can see a man such as Philip feeling frustrated at having to have what he would consider a babysitter if they assigned a strapping male RPO to him, I could easily see the compromise of having a woman with equestrian interests accompanying him.

The innate chauvinism of his generation is satisfied and he gets a little boost having a nice female RPO.

 

[Curryong]

Prince Philip just likes slipping the leash sometimes. When he was much younger he purchased a green taxi cab so he could travel inconspicuously around London on his own. It's nothing to do with his age or state of health. He undoubtedly gets annoyed with RPOs constantly around.

 

[TLLK]

^^^And likely he's passed these escape secrets on to his children and grandchildren.

 

[JessRulz]

Several posts have been removed, as they were responses to speculative comments.

Let's try and keep our supposed 'diagnoses' to ourselves until something is confirmed, shall we.

 

[wbenson]

He undoubtedly gets annoyed with RPOs constantly around.

And foreign police forces. On one trip he refused to ride somewhere in the provided car because the motorcade was too long. He walked instead.

 

[Osipi]

The more I learn about the DoE, the more I realize that this is a man that can easily feel the confines of royal life as very limiting and perhaps other than his own private rooms, has no sense of personal solitude or freedom to go as he pleases and when the opportunity arises, he grabs it. I think this is perhaps why he enjoys carriage driving so much. He's not being driven but driving and in control of where it goes, how fast it goes and when it goes. Its the same feeling that HM gets whenever she gets on a horse.

In a royal fishbowl, you find what you need in different places and in different ways. Makes me realize how fortunate I am to be able to just take off and walk in my woods alone.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

When Prince William attended Ludgrove School, did security wait outside the entire time he was inside doing school lessons?

 

[TLLK]

From what I've read about royal security and school years is that the protection officers typically are outside the classroom.

 

[eya]

The Queen, Kate and Prince Harry's former bodyguards set up private security firm | Royal | News | Daily Express

Queen is in danger of losing the Guard at Buckingham Palace as the Royal’s elite Foot Guards suffer worst recruitment crisis in their historyÂ* | Daily Mail Online

 

[Denville]

When Prince William attended Ludgrove School, did security wait outside the entire time he was inside doing school lessons?

Perhaps they sat in and learn something!!

 

[TLLK]

Or they could have taught the students a thing or two!