An office created in the Private Secretary's Office of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

in 2004. The first office-holder was Brigadier Jeffrey Cook, a former Special Air Service (SAS) officer. He served until 2008. As his role was security policy, the whole range of security services for the Sovereign would logically have been within his responsibility. Non-combat personal bodyguards include the Gentlemen at Arms, the

Yeomen of the Guard The King's Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard is a bodyguard of the British monarch. The oldest British military corps still in existence, it was created by King Henry VII in 1485 after the Battle of Bosworth Field. History The king ...

, the

Royal Company of Archers The Royal Company of Archers, The King's Bodyguard for Scotland is a ceremonial unit that serves as the Sovereign's bodyguard in Scotland—a role it has performed since 1822 during the reign of King George IV when the company provided a per ...

(in Scotland), the

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

(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 The Jewel House is a vault housing the British Crown Jewels in the Waterloo Block (formerly a barracks) at the Tower of London. It was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994 and refurbished in 2012. Regalia have been kept in various parts of ...

, Tower of London. The Gold Stick and

Silver Stick The Gold Stick and the Silver Stick are bodyguard positions in the British Royal Household, personal attendants to the Sovereign on ceremonial occasions. Gold Stick Although now only in evidence on ceremonial and state occasions, the offi ...

, senior officers of the

Household Cavalry The Household Cavalry (HCav) is made up of the two most senior regiments of the British Army, the Life Guards and the Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons). These regiments are divided between the Household Cavalry Regiment sta ...

, 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 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 ...

consists of five regiments of Foot Guards (five battalions), and the

. This latter has one armoured reconnaissance regiment and a mounted cavalry regiment provided by the two combined regiments. The

provides several

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

s at any one time tasked for

public duties Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Armenia Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has ...

, which include the protection of the Sovereign. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

a special unit, known as the

Coats Mission The Coats Mission was a special British army unit established in England in 1940 for the purpose of evacuating King George VI, Queen Elizabeth and their immediate family in the event of a German invasion of Britain during the Second World War. I ...

, was entrusted with facilitating the Sovereign's evacuation in the event that this were necessary. 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.

References

* {{cite news , url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3654746.stm , work=BBC News , title=Struggling with palace intruders , date=14 September 2004 British monarchy Positions within the British Royal Household