Kate Middleton Undergoes 'SAS Training'
03.08.2011
The British press is reporting that the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, has taken a grueling VIP kidnap protection training course. As a new member of the Royal Family, the Duchess would have been trained in a number of techniques:
- How to notice and react to dangerous situations.
- Driving under pressure. For example, it is believed that the Royals, who often drive themselves, are taught to immediately leave the scene of any minor road accident they may be involved with as such an incident may be the start of a kidnap or assassination attempt.
- How to build a rapport with kidnappers and how to pass coded messages to the security services
- How to behave in hostage rescue scenarios. The Queen and other Royals have in the past taken part in hostage rescue exercises with 22 SAS. One such exercise in the 1980s resulted in Princess Diana 's hair being singed by a flash bang grenade.
- It is understood that Prince William was trained to use a MP5 9mm sub machine gun as part of his VIP training in 1998.
Such training is said to be extremely demanding, both physically and mentally, and may take place under the instruction of soldiers from the Special Air Service, police officers from the Royalty Protection Branch of the Met or MI5 intelligence officers.
further reading / more info:
- SAS train Kate to protect against kidnap threat
(the sun)
- Duchess of Cambridge 'given SAS training' to protect against kidnap threats
(the daily mail)
- Duchess of Cambridge 'given SAS training' amid kidnap fears
(the telegraph)
update: subsequent reports have stated that both the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have recently visited the SAS base at Credenhill for further training, including playing the role of hostages during a counter terrorism exercise at the famed 'killing house':
- Kate and William trained by SAS to bolster security
(this is london)
- Kate Middleton and Prince William are given SAS training
(the mirror)
