Police anger at ‘£250K’ cost of guarding Eugenie

Scotland Yard officers have spoken out about the costs of protecting "non-working royals" after it emerged that British taxpayers are spending more than £250,000 on guarding Princess Eugenie in her first year at Newcastle University.

Eugenie, the 19-year-old daughter of Prince Andrew who is sixth in line to the throne, has been given round-the-clock armed protection to go about her studies and student social life. The £250,000 sum - said to be a conservative estimate - includes the salaries, accommodation and expenses of two full-time police bodyguards. Meanwhile Eugenie's sister Beatrice, 21, also enjoys full-time police protection while studying history at Goldsmiths, University of London.

A former head of SO14, the Metropolitan Police's royal protection squad, told the Sunday Times that some officers have voiced their doubts about the need for Eugenie to have full-time armed bodyguards.

Dai Davies told the newspaper: "I am not aware of any evidence of any threat to her. If there isn't a threat, it would appear to be a pointless exercise. It's difficult to see the justification in security terms for providing such protection 24/7."

The row comes as Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan police commissioner, is locked in a funding dispute with Home Secretary Alan Johnson over a £20 million shortfall in his royal security budget.
Scotland Yard currently spends around £50 million a year on protecting members of the royal family, including Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice. Stephenson has told Johnson that his department should fund the full amount rather than just the £30 million it currently contributes.

There is particular anger given that the capital is being forced to slash its budget for frontline policing. London mayor Boris Johnson has told the Met that it must lose 455 frontline officers by 2012.

A senior royal source told the Sunday Times that it was unfair to single out the princesses for criticism. "They are fifth and sixth in line of succession," he said. "The police and the state have a duty to protect both the Queen and the line of succession."

Indeed, Eugenie and Beatrice may have a better case for protection than some of the 22 royals who are guarded by the Met. One of these is Princess Alexandra, the 73-year-old cousin of the Queen and the youngest granddaughter of King George V and Queen Mary. The Princess, who lives in a large house in Richmond Park, southwest London, is currently given 24-hour protection despite senior officers questioning whether she would be a terrorist target. ·