With Prince Harry’s recent legal offer to pay for police protection while his family is in the UK, the issue of royal protection has been brought into the spotlight.
Top royals like Prince Charles, William and of course the Queen get 24/7 police protection at taxpayers expense.
Other middle-ranking royals, such as Princess Ann and Prince Edward, only receive police protection when performing royal duties.
READ MORE: Pizza dough, yogurt and chocolate are among the products being recalled by supermarkets
The question of which royal gets state protection came to a head in 2011 after Prince Andrew’s daughter Princess Eugenie racked up huge bills during her gap year.
The Mirror reports that the prince, who was embroiled in scandals, was furious at the time when things got so hot at the palace that Prince Charles had to intervene.
Get all the stories you love straight to your inbox. Sign up for Gloucestershire / Herefordshire’s daily newsletter right here.
A report published at the time suggested that Eugenie had spent more than £100,000 in taxpayers’ money exploring India, America, Thailand and South Africa.
She paid for hotels and travel herself, but the massive security bill, including overtime pay, was funded by the taxpayer.
In his intervention, Prince Charles is believed to have hinted that Andrew’s daughters do not need police protection as they are unlikely to ever become working royals.
This reportedly infuriated Epstein associate Andrew.
It is now understood that both princesses who are not royal employees will have any security they need privately paid for.
Both also have jobs with Beatrice working at software company Afiniti while Eugenie is director of art gallery Hauser & Wirth.
What do you think? Sign up and join the conversations in the comments below