Being a member of the Belgian royal family comes with many advantages, but also with increased security threats. As a result, royals require bodyguards, who until now have always been male. However, the Belgian royal family have made history by hiring the first female bodyguard. Royal Central reports that a newly appointed bodyguard was spotted with King Phillipe in Brussels during an official visit to the Mountain of Mercy. The bodyguard was armed with a weapon for protection, and was wearing a coat with the royal insignia placed onto it, as well as having an earpiece to be able to communicate effectively with the royals. It is thought that female bodyguards can be better at blending into the background and as a result, allow for them to be more effective when it comes to protecting.
King Phillipe has been appointed a female bodyguard
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Security guards often build up great relationships with the people they help protect, especially in the case of the royal family. Princess Stephanie of Monaco memorably married her bodyguard Daniel Ducret in 1995, and welcomed two children together. In the British royal family, Princess Charlotte was treated to a personalised birthday present by the Cambridge family's security team for her first birthday in 2016. The little girl was given a personalised "The Day You Were Born" print by artist Lucy Tapper, which featured her full name "Charlotte Elizabeth Diana" as well as the date and location of her birth, as well as her birth stone, star sign and birth flower.
The Belgian royal family have made royal history
Prince Charles' previous bodyguard, meanwhile, made the news earlier in the month after it was debated whether or not he achieved a 2:1 at the University of Cambridge while protecting the future King of England. According to the website Quora, the security guard lived in college accommodation at Trinity College, and since the criteria of gaining a degree a University includes 'keeping term' in the limits of Cambridge during term dates and passing the examinations, the bodyguard was eligible to take the exams as he met the criteria. The story stated that he was permitted to sit the exam and passed with a 2:1, while Charles was awarded a more modest 2:2.
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However, the University of Cambridge's online magazine, Varsity, have debunked the myth, claiming that although Charles did have a bodyguard who stayed in a room at Trinity College and attended the same lectures as the Prince, he did not in fact take the exams, and so was unable to get the impressive mark.
