The Earl and Countess of Wessex are to lose their team of six protection officers as part of moves to cut the £100 million cost of Royal security. Prince Edward and Sophie are said to be ‘very unhappy’ about the proposal to strip them of police protection when they are not on official engagements. They plan to dispute the decision.
The Metropolitan Police and the Home Office have been told to trim the cost of taxpayer-funded Royal security across the board. The Wessexes have six protection officers who work on a rolling rota, which costs the taxpayer an estimated £1.15 million a year. The couple and their children – Lady Louise Windsor, seven, and three-year-old James, Viscount Severn – have a top-of-the-range alarm system at Bagshot Park, their £30 million Surrey mansion.
But security has always been a concern for Sophie, who worried that members of the public could enter the estate from the main road. A friend of the couple said: ‘They’re very upset. They trust their staff and depend on them hugely.’ It was reported last month that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are to be stripped of protection officers after a row over the £500,000 annual cost.
Prince Andrew has fought to keep the 24 hour guards for his daughters – who are 5th and 6th in line to the throne as they have HRH status. But the argument has failed because their cousin Zara Phillips has no protection – even though she enjoys a higher status.
