Royal chauffeurs are receiving extra training ahead of Prince William’s wedding. This follows the security lapse three months ago when Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall’s car was spattered with paint and Camilla jabbed with a stick by student protesters.

The drivers, all of whom have exemplary motoring records, are being sent on intensive courses run by police in an attempt to ensure that never again is a royal car left at the mercy of an angry mob.

The move comes, I understand, after suggestions by Scotland Yard to introduce police drivers for all front-rank members of the Royal Family were quietly resisted by the royals themselves.

‘You have to remember that the Queen, for example, is very fond of and loyal to the men who have been driving her, some for many years,’ I am told. ‘The idea of having police officers behind the wheel of her cars, especially at Windsor or Balmoral, is not something that goes down well. It was also felt it would add hugely to the cost of security, which is already high.’

Although all drivers receive training in anti-hijacking techniques — these include avoiding the middle lane on motorways, where a car can be boxed in — tutoring them on how to get out of trouble in a riot is now a priority.
Executing rapid U-turns and three-point turns are a key part of the training. One expert says: ‘Doing anything like that in a three-ton Rolls-Royce is rather different from your average saloon car.’

With the prospect of more unrest on the streets over continuing cuts and with the wedding coming up, a security shake-up was seen as vital.
In the past, royal drivers were trained by the SAS. Insiders say this is no longer common, one theory being that, because the chauffeurs are civilians, military chiefs are worried about civil actions in case anything were to go wrong.