Royal Protection Officer Speaks

So, the big question in all this is - what the hell were the security guys doing?

Dai Davies, former head of royal protection at the Metropolitan Police, has told the Daily Telegraph today that the naked photographs of Prince Harry demonstrate the difficulty of protecting a young member of the Royal Family but added that it raised questions over the cost of high level security to the taxpayer.

"We're paying huge amounts of money for this young man to be followed everywhere he goes by security," Mr Davies said.

"British security costs in excess of £120 million a year but on the other hand, [royals] have to have a life."

Mr Davies described protecting virile young royals such as Harry as "a nightmare" at times but said the Prince was such a "lovely man" that his team was likely to forgive him immediately.

"He's a young man with lots of testosterone but there is a balance and occasionally that balance slips," he said.

"There's a responsibility on the person being secured as well as those trying to protect him."

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Tom SykesEuropean Editor at Large

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