Executive Protection

During a trial of a former British Royal Protection Officer accused of fraud, allegations surfaced that some Royal Protection Officers at Buckingham Palace routinely reported for duty drunk, slept off hangovers in private rooms in Buckingham Palace, traded porn and steroids in the locker room at Buckingham, handled weapons while drunk, and equally grievous, sat on the Queen’s throne with their feet up and posed for pictures.

There were also allegations that some Royal Protection Officers smuggled friends into Buckingham Palace while members of the Royal family were on the grounds and allowed friends and associates to park their private vehicles at Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace whenever their friends and associates went on shopping trips in London.

So far, these are only allegations, but if true, this would be a very serious breach of protection of the Royal family not to mention protocol surrounding the throne.

Protection of the U.K. Royal family falls under the mission of the Metropolitan Police Service’s (the “Met“) Royalty Protection branch which, according to the Met’s website is responsible for:

Personal protection for the Royal Family, both nationally and internationally
Protecting royal residences in London, Windsor and Scotland
Protecting members of the public who visit royal residences
24-hour uniform security and protection operations at some royal residences
Personal protection for European Royal Families visiting the UK
Mobile protection for protected persons and related property, high risk prisoners and vulnerable property within London and for cross-border operations
Planning and co-ordinating joint protection operations
Buckingham Palace has been the site of previous incidents involving security notably in 1982 when an intruder, Michael Fagan, managed to scale the fence one night at Buckingham Palace and made his way into the Queen’s bedroom. The Queen awoke to find Fagan sitting at the end of her bed. When the Queen tried to summon the Royal Protection Officers, no one responded. A chambermaid finally entered the Queen’s bedroom and upon finding Fagan, ran out to get the Police.

In 2003, a journalist managed to get a job at Buckingham Palace using a false reference and was in Buckingham during the visit of then President George W. Bush. A “full investigation” of security at Buckingham was promised soon after the journalist was discovered. There’s no word whether that investigation is still on-going or will be extended in light of the most recent allegations.