Director for Security Liaison
Encyclopedia
An office created in the Private Secretary's Office of the Royal Household
of the Sovereign
of the United Kingdom
in 2004. The first office-holder was Brigadier Jeffrey Cook, OBE
MC
, a former Special Air Service
(SAS) officer.
As his role was security policy, the whole range of security services for the Sovereign
would logically have been within his responsibility. These bodies are numerous, and may be listed as follows. The first category are police, including (within the Metropolitan Police
) the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department, Special Branch
, Special Escort Group
, Mounted Branch, Anti-terrorist Branch, Territorial Support Branch, SO19 response teams, Thames Division
, and the Air Support Unit. The first has the primary role of royal security, the others being supportive in greater or lesser degree.
The Security Service (MI5
) provides protective security intelligence.
Non-combat personal bodyguards include the Gentlemen at Arms, the Yeomen of the Guard
, the Royal Company of Archers
(in Scotland), the Honourable Artillery Company
(in the City of London), the Corps of Serjeants at Arms
, the High Constables and Guard of Honour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse
(in Scotland), and the Wardens of the Jewel House
, Tower of London. The Gold Stick and Silver Stick, senior officers of the Household Cavalry
, also have a role, to protect the person of the Sovereign and to pass on any orders to their respective regiments.
Military guards for the Sovereign and metropolis comprise foot guards, mounted guards, and saluting batteries. The Household Division
consists of five regiments of Foot Guards
(five battalions), and the Household Cavalry
. This latter has one armoured reconnaissance regiment and a mounted cavalry regiment provided by the two combined regiments. The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
provides a saluting battery.
The Household Division
provides several battalions at any one time tasked for public duties
, which include the protection of the Sovereign. In the event of crisis or war it is believed that one of these would be responsible for protecting the person of the Sovereign and facilitating their evacuation in the event that this were necessary. In the Second World War a special unit, known as the Coats Mission
, was entrusted with this latter task. In the 1960s war plans apparently envisaged evacuating the Sovereign to the Royal Yacht
Britannia. It would appear that, contrary to persistent rumour, there were no plans for the Sovereign to join the Prime Minister
at the Corsham
bunker complex known variously as Hawthorn
or Turnstile.
Outside the Household Division, the SAS (Special Air Service
) offers high risk/high value protection. The Royal Military Police
guard VIPs temporarily in military care.
The Director for Security Liaison is meant to be the principal point of contact for all security matters across the Royal Household
. He is responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of Royal Household
security plans, policies and procedures. He works with the police, Home Office
, and other agencies within the existing framework of security responsibilities. The Director reports to the Private Secretary to the Sovereign
. An annual security plan for Royal Household
security is to be written in consultation with police and other security organisations, covering personnel security as well as protection and physical security, and this is subject to annual reviews.
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
of the Sovereign
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 2004. The first office-holder was Brigadier Jeffrey Cook, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
, a former Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
(SAS) officer.
As his role was security policy, the whole range of security services for the Sovereign
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
would logically have been within his responsibility. These bodies are numerous, and may be listed as follows. The first category are police, including (within the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
) the Royalty and Diplomatic Protection Department, Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
, Special Escort Group
Special Escort Group (Metropolitan Police)
The Special Escort Group is a Specialist Operations unit within London's Metropolitan Police Service.-Role:The unit's purpose is to provide armed motorcycle escorts for members of the Royal family, protected members of the Government, visiting royals, heads of state and other visiting dignitaries...
, Mounted Branch, Anti-terrorist Branch, Territorial Support Branch, SO19 response teams, Thames Division
Thames Division
The Marine Policing Unit is a Central Operations branch of London's Metropolitan Police Service.-Role:...
, and the Air Support Unit. The first has the primary role of royal security, the others being supportive in greater or lesser degree.
The Security Service (MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
) provides protective security intelligence.
Non-combat personal bodyguards include the Gentlemen at Arms, the Yeomen of the Guard
Yeomen of the Guard
The Queen's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard are a bodyguard of the British Monarch. The oldest British military corps still in existence, it was created by Henry VII in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth Field. As a token of this venerability, the Yeomen still wear red and gold uniforms of Tudor...
, the Royal Company of Archers
Royal Company of Archers
The Royal Company of Archers is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's Bodyguard in Scotland, a role it has performed since 1822 and the reign of King George IV, when the company provided a personal bodyguard to the King on his visit to Scotland. It is currently known as the Queen's...
(in Scotland), the Honourable Artillery Company
Honourable Artillery Company
The Honourable Artillery Company was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII. Today it is a Registered Charity whose purpose is to attend to the “better defence of the realm"...
(in the City of London), the Corps of Serjeants at Arms
Serjeant-at-Arms
A Sergeant-at-Arms is an officer appointed by a deliberative body, usually a legislature, to keep order during its meetings. The word sergeant is derived from the Latin serviens, which means "servant"....
, the High Constables and Guard of Honour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse
High Constables and Guard of Honour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse
The High Constables of Holyroodhouse are a small corps of ceremonial guards at the Sovereign's official residence in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. Dating from the early sixteenth century, they now parade whenever the Sovereign, or the Lord High Commissioner of the General Assembly of the Church...
(in Scotland), and the Wardens of the Jewel House
Jewel House
The Jewel House in the Tower of London is both a building and an institution. Until 1782 it was the Department of the Jewel Office, under the Master of the Jewel Office, who was generally a senior politician.-History:...
, Tower of London. The Gold Stick and Silver Stick, senior officers of the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
, also have a role, to protect the person of the Sovereign and to pass on any orders to their respective regiments.
Military guards for the Sovereign and metropolis comprise foot guards, mounted guards, and saluting batteries. The Household Division
Household Division
Household Division is a term used principally in the Commonwealth of Nations to describe a country’s most elite or historically senior military units, or those military units that provide ceremonial or protective functions associated directly with the head of state.-Historical Development:In...
consists of five regiments of Foot Guards
Foot Guards
-British Army:The Foot Guards are the Regular Infantry regiments of the Household Division of the British Army. There have been six regiments of foot guards, five of which still exist. The Royal Guards Reserve Regiment was a reserve formation of the Household Brigade in existence from 1900-1901...
(five battalions), and the Household Cavalry
Household Cavalry
The term Household Cavalry is used across the Commonwealth to describe the cavalry of the Household Divisions, a country’s most elite or historically senior military groupings or those military groupings that provide functions associated directly with the Head of state.Canada's Governor General's...
. This latter has one armoured reconnaissance regiment and a mounted cavalry regiment provided by the two combined regiments. The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery
The King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery is a ceremonial unit of the British Army. It is a mounted unit and all of its soldiers are trained to drive a team of six horses that pull each of the six First World War-era 13-pounder state saluting guns...
provides a saluting battery.
The Household Division
Household Division
Household Division is a term used principally in the Commonwealth of Nations to describe a country’s most elite or historically senior military units, or those military units that provide ceremonial or protective functions associated directly with the head of state.-Historical Development:In...
provides several battalions at any one time tasked for public duties
Public duties
Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role.-Germany:...
, which include the protection of the Sovereign. In the event of crisis or war it is believed that one of these would be responsible for protecting the person of the Sovereign and facilitating their evacuation in the event that this were necessary. In the Second World War a special unit, known as the Coats Mission
Coats Mission
From 1941 to 1942 a special British army unit existed for the purpose of evacuating the King and Queen and their immediate family in the event of German invasion. Led by Major James Coats, MC, Coldstream Guards, later Lieutenant-Colonel Sir James Coats, Bt, it comprised a company of the Coldstream...
, was entrusted with this latter task. In the 1960s war plans apparently envisaged evacuating the Sovereign to the Royal Yacht
Royal Yacht
A royal yacht is a ship used by a monarch or a royal family. If the monarch is an emperor the proper term is imperial yacht. Most of them are financed by the government of the country of which the monarch is head...
Britannia. It would appear that, contrary to persistent rumour, there were no plans for the Sovereign to join the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
at the Corsham
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in north west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south western extreme of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 which was formerly the main turnpike road from London to Bristol, between Bath and Chippenham ....
bunker complex known variously as Hawthorn
Hawthorn, Wiltshire
Hawthorn is the location of a number of defence related underground facilities in the vicinity of Corsham, Wiltshire. Specifically the Hawthorn site was the location of an above-ground bunker used for the planning of satellite communications support to the United Kingdom's armed forces worldwide. ...
or Turnstile.
Outside the Household Division, the SAS (Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
) offers high risk/high value protection. The Royal Military Police
Royal Military Police
The Royal Military Police is the corps of the British Army responsible for the policing of service personnel, and for providing a military police presence both in the UK, and whilst service personnel are deployed overseas on operations and exercises.Members of the RMP are generally known as...
guard VIPs temporarily in military care.
The Director for Security Liaison is meant to be the principal point of contact for all security matters across the Royal Household
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
. He is responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of Royal Household
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
security plans, policies and procedures. He works with the police, Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
, and other agencies within the existing framework of security responsibilities. The Director reports to the Private Secretary to the Sovereign
Private Secretary to the Sovereign
The Private Secretary to the Sovereign is the senior operational member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom, as distinct from the Great Officers of the Household. The Private Secretary is the principal channel of communication with Her Majesty's Government and the...
. An annual security plan for Royal Household
Royal Household
A Royal Household in ancient and medieval monarchies formed the basis for the general government of the country as well as providing for the needs of the sovereign and his relations....
security is to be written in consultation with police and other security organisations, covering personnel security as well as protection and physical security, and this is subject to annual reviews.