(Photo: Chris Jackson/Pool via REUTERS)
Some drastic changes are being made among the protection officers of the adult children of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip -- Princess Anne, the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, and Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex. Their bodyguards are, reportedly, not going to carry firearms anymore. Instead, the men and women protecting them and their family will be carrying taser guns as part of the plan to reduce the security costs of some VIPs in the U.K.
According to reports, the decision to switch from pistols to taser guns apparently worry the protection offers. They are trained to "take the bullet" for the royals but there's a lack of protection for non-fatal guns like tasers.
An ex-commander of the Metropolitan Police said that pistols are "nonsensical" considering that the royals have been under threat before. Princess Anne was embroiled in an attempted kidnapping more than 40 years ago and similar perpetrators could still have the same ideas today.
Metropolitan Police Dame Cressida Dick said in an interview last year that 20 percent of the protection officers for VIPS are not in favor of carrying tasers. This weapon is deemed more dangerous to carry around for protection officers who are not fit and who cannot make quick decision in a tensed setting.
However, the protection officers for Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Prince William will still have Glock pistols as their firearms. The security details for the monarch and her direct heirs remain unchanged.
The royals' security has been brought to focus amid Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's move to Los Angeles. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's security details overseas have been a source of debate among government officials, taxpayers and the royal fans.
Some taxpayers say that they should not be paying for Prince Harry and Meghan's security since they are no longer working royals. They are also going to stay in the United States, which is not part of the Commonwealth.
The Metropolitan Police provided bodyguards for Prince Harry and Meghan when they decided to stay in Canada. A few members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were also tasked to protect the Sussex family, per Vanity Fair.
Prince Harry and Meghan, however, said that they are going to pay for the security cost with private funding now that they are in Los Angeles. It is believed that half of this money will come from Prince Charles' private income from the Duchy of Cornwall.
