The Truth About Royal Bodyguards

The first official royal bodyguards in England, The Honorable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, were banded together by Henry VIII in 1509, according to the royal family's official website. They were originally created to provide escort to the sovereign, in times of peace and war. In the modern age, their role is to serve the monarch as bodyguards in traditional public ceremonies such as the Garter service, the State Opening of Parliament, and other events. Their uniform consists of a red jacket and a helmet fastened with white swan feather plumes. As the late Queen Elizabeth once said, "The evils against which the Sovereign required protection in 1509 have I expect changed a little over the years but the loyalty of the Body Guard remains undimmed."

Members of the Royal Guard are also dressed in red and are easily recognizable in their tall, bearskin hats (via Insider). They are part of the Household Division of the British Army, and have the "unique responsibility for delivering State Ceremonial and Public Duties, primarily in London & Windsor," according to the division's website. "The Headquarters is based at Horse Guards on Whitehall."

The royal family is also supplied with personal protection officers – much less noticeable guards compared to the Gentlmen at Arms and Royal Guard. This protection for the British royal family is provided by the metropolitan police. Personal security detail does the majority of the planning for public appearances (and private security), as well as moves the royal throughout crowds and to new locations. 

According to Simon Morgan, a former royal protection officer, the most important part of the role is not the fast cars or the show of force. "Planning is the most essential aspect of the role," he told Insider. He claimed the majority of his days were spent planning future trips and ventures for his protectees. "If you were to follow me for a day, you would see countless meetings about planning, journeys, telephone calls, and more meetings that discuss how the journeys will work." He continued, saying, "Bodyguarding is a thought process."

So, what do bodyguards think about? Well, Morgan claims it can take months or even years to plan a royal tour overseas. "There's tremendous weight attached to tours ... The actual threat is constant and you have to factor in different things according to the principal [who they are protecting]." If the principal is elderly or a child, their needs are wildly different from most adults. There are medical contingencies to consider as well. Royal bodyguards are always absolutely certain about the closest medical facility and the three most effective routes to get there. 

In a separate interview, Morgan told 9Honey that one of the biggest challenges for a royal bodyguard was the ten to 15-minute "walkabout" where the royals greet the public. "So much could happen within that time, despite the fact you've tried to control so many factors beforehand." Imagine how stressed the royal protection officers must've been when, following the queen's death, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex together with the Prince and Princess of Wales spent almost triple the usual amount of time greeting well-wishers.

The Special Escort Group (SEG) provides security and support as the royal family travels from place to place. They also protect VIPs and guests of the royal family when they arrive. Their main goal is to keep whatever convoy they are protecting moving at all times. While Americans might be accustomed to seeing a police escort with a long row of cars and flashing lights, the SEG moves their convoy through London with motorcycles, as "Inconspicuous Ingenuity" demonstrates.

Although this elite group of drivers trains and practices their traffic maneuvers with precision, this is still a risky job. According to the Daily Mail, while transporting Prince Harry to the Invictus Games in 2014, one of the outriders ran into a cab and was thrown 30 feet from his motorcycle. Per their training, the driver of Prince Harry's vehicle used evasive maneuvers to keep moving and get the royal to safety. Harry was seen visibly distraught through the windows of his Range Rover. The driver was released later that night, relatively unscathed. 

There's another type of transport involved when it comes to the royal family: The Sovereign's Escort. This elite group of 120 riders and horses escorts the monarch during state visits or to the opening of parliament. Usually, the monarch is in a carriage, although, Queen Elizabeth II used to ride her own mount in some parades, with her escort by her side. As one former guardsman revealed in an article for iNews, "Historically [The Sovereign's] escorts would have been used as a bodyguard for the Sovereign when moving around the country, and the London to Windsor Escort was a common occurrence. Today this has been replaced with up-armoured black Land Rovers and police outriders, but sometimes — when diplomatic relations or national pride are at stake — only horse power will do."

During Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee in June 2022, Richard Griffin, former personal protection officer to the queen, told Sky News about a delightful moment he shared with the queen. The two were in Balmoral, Scotland. The queen would go on long walks, accompanied by Griffin, and left alone by the general population. She often included Griffin in her picnic. While on one of these hikes, they ran into two American tourists who failed to recognize the queen. The tourists mentioned they knew the moarch lived nearby and asked if either had met "Her Majesty." Queen Elizabeth replied, "Well, I haven't, but Dick here meets her often."

In response, the tourists asked the queen to take their picture posing with her royal bodyguard, who they knew as "Dick." Afterward, he casually suggested he should take their picture with "the lady," too. He told how both of them laughed after the tourists left and the queen expressed how she dearly wished to be a fly on the wall when they showed their picture to someone who would recognize her.

Richard Griffin served as the queen's royal protection officer for many years — and she even attended his retirement party (via Express).

Paul Page, a former royal protection officer, told "60 Minutes" about an incident while he was on guard at Buckingham Palace. Prince Andrew brought his own protection officer with him and began hitting golf balls toward the lake. He then insisted that his royal bodyguard run and fetch the golf balls that hadn't gone into the water. Mr. Page was shocked that the "police officer was acting as a ball boy." He began to express his concern after the Epstein scandal was connected to the prince because, as he said, he was bullied by Prince Andrew and thus "suffered at the hands of the prince."

Page recounted to The Sun that he and several other officers once rushed to check on a possible intruder who appeared in the queen's quarters of Buckingham Palace. "But when we got there, we realised it was Prince Andrew. He looked scruffy and was wearing a tracksuit. Page said he apologized for the misunderstanding, but  Andrew reportedly didn't take kindly to the mistake. According to Page, the prince replied, "This is my house, I go where I want, now f**k off." It should be noted that the source, Mr. Page, was once jailed for his participation in a property scam.

Similar "bullying" claims were once made against Meghan Markle Although Buckingham Palace investigated the claims, they remain confidential, according to BBC News. Given the close nature of the work, it stands to reason that the relationship between royal bodyguards and their principals could blur the lines between friendship and employee. As former protection officer Simon Morgan explained to Insider, being surrounded by "the best cars, yachts, and restaurants" can actually distract a bodyguard from providing the level of protection the royals need. "That's the principal's life, not yours. And if you don't understand that, you will be compromised," he said.