Gudang Starlounge

Police are so overstretched guarding jet-setting young royals that senior members of the family are being put at risk , it was revealed yesterday.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has asked the Home Secretary for an urgent increase in funds to pay for more protection officers.

Senior officers say ministers should be given an 'ultimatum' - come up with more cash or reduce the number of royals with 24-hour protection.

High price for safety: Princess Beatrice (right) and her sister Eugenie cost taxpayers an estimated £250,000 each for their 24-hour protection

They say Scotland Yard's resources have been pushed to breaking point as a new generation of royals travel the world and lead full social lives.

There has been intense scrutiny of the need to police the gap years of Princess Beatrice and her sister Eugenie, at an estimated cost of £250,000 each.

The royalty protection squad, known as SO14, also has to provide high-level security around Princes William and Harry.

Warning: Sir Paul Stephenson has asked the government for more money to protect the royal family

The funding issue came to a head over reports that 19-year-old Eugenie, sixth in line to the throne, is considering applying to a U.S. university where she could have two specialist officers constantly by her side - at phenomenal expense.

The mugging of the princess and her friends in Cambodia earlier this year - when her bodyguards leapt into action - shows the dilemma police face.

It was the first time in ten years that royal protection officers have stopped a direct threat.

Critics, however, say it was Eugenie's personal decision to go backpacking around the world and she was not targeted because she was a Royal.

The tight security round Prince Andrew's daughters is in marked contrast to the protection provided to Princess Anne's daughter Zara.

Though she is a professional horsewoman with a higher profile than her cousins, neither she nor her brother Peter are routinely guarded.

Dai Davies, former head of SO14, said: 'This shows the need for a root and branch review.

'A risk assessment should be undertaken of all those members of the Royal Family who receive round-the- clock protection to decide whether there is any active threat to them.

'If there is not, questions should be asked as to whether they should still be afforded the same level of protection.

'If there is deemed to be a threat then certain members of royalty - particularly the younger ones - should look at their behaviour and temper it.

'It is very difficult to justify paying for officers to shadow them, travelling around the world and partying in nightclubs until the early hours of the morning, when we cannot even afford to send our armed forces to Iraq and Afghanistan with the full equipment.'

There is also concern for the health of officers struggling to keep pace with the Royals.

They can work up to 70 hours a week, particularly on foreign trips.

Partying hard: Prince Harry is just one young royal who leads a full social life, as he is pictured here leaving Raffles nightclub at 3.30am

Officers also have to be relieved after two weeks, leading to regular staff changes during the extended jaunts of young Royals.

The guards who travel with Royals both in the UK and abroad have to be highly trained in personal protection.

They tend to travel in business class and stay in upmarket hotels and can claim up to £150 a day in subsistence allowances while abroad.

The cost of sending two officers - at the rank of inspector or sergeant - on a six-week trip would about £50,000, including flights, accommodation, expenses and overtime.

The funding crisis was laid bare after it emerged that Sir Paul has made a formal request to the Government for more cash during a review of how taxpayers' money is spent on protection duties.

He acted after an internal police audit raised fears about funding deficiencies for the force's royal and specialist protection units.

Auditors said the formula for calculating how much the force receives does not take into account the true burden of its responsibilities protecting the Royals and other VIPs.

The Met has asked for funding for up to 150 extra protection officers. It has already stepped up recruitment but the financial issues have yet to be resolved.

Police forces across England and Wales receive extra funding for dedicated security posts every year.

Official figures show the cost has been rising steadily. In 2003, the last year for which figures are available, the national bill was £203million.

The annual protection bill for the Royal Family alone is estimated at £50million. Most of it is spent on salaries and overtime for round-the-clock armed guards at Royal homes as well as hi-tech security measures.

The 400-strong Royal Protection Squad is responsible for guarding about 20 members of the Royal Family and their various homes.

They include the Queen's cousin Princess Alexandra, who carries out only 120 engagements a year and lives in a vast house in Richmond Park which is afforded 24-hour protection.

The Duchess of Cornwall's home in Wiltshire, which she kept after marrying Prince Charles and where she spends a few days a week, is also policed round-the-clock at a cost of about £1million a year.

The squad's additional duties include protecting members of the public who visit Royal residences and providing personal protection for European royal families visiting the UK.

A Whitehall source confirmed that a letter had been received from the Met and said new Home Secretary Alan Johnson's officials would 'respond in due course'.

The Home Office said it did not comment on operational security matters.