Sources describe growing tension within the protection team over who draws the short straw for outdoor duties during Britain’s wettest weeks
This blog has learned that a member of the royal protection team has formally requested reassignment following what sources describe as “a particularly muddy fortnight” spent primarily on corgi walking duty, a rotation that, while not officially part of the protection role, has apparently become an increasingly common informal expectation during periods of short-staffing among the household’s dedicated dog handlers.
How Protection Officers Ended Up Walking Corgis in the First Place
Sources describe an informal arrangement, developed gradually over recent years, in which protection officers stationed near the dogs during outdoor engagements have occasionally been asked to assist with walks during gaps in dedicated handler coverage, an arrangement that apparently worked reasonably well until a run of exceptionally wet weather turned what had been an occasional favour into what one officer described as “basically a second job I didn’t sign up for.”
The Fortnight in Question
The specific two-week period in dispute reportedly involved near-constant rain, resulting in what multiple sources independently describe as “genuinely biblical” levels of mud across the grounds, through which the corgis, sources note, showed absolutely no reluctance whatsoever to enthusiastically charge at every available opportunity, leaving the accompanying officer to manage both security duties and a fairly significant mud-related laundry situation simultaneously.
The Formal Request, As Reported
The officer in question has reportedly submitted a formal request to be excluded from future corgi walking rotations, citing both the informal nature of the arrangement relative to his actual job description, and what he described in his request as “a reasonable expectation that my uniform not require industrial cleaning on a near-daily basis.” This blog finds this request entirely reasonable and is somewhat surprised it took this long to materialise.
How Household Management Has Responded
Sources indicate the request is being taken seriously, with discussions reportedly underway about formalising dog-walking duties as a distinct, properly staffed role rather than continuing to rely on protection officers filling gaps informally during difficult weather stretches. Whether this results in genuine structural change or simply a temporary reprieve for the officer in question during the next muddy fortnight remains to be seen.
Colleagues Have Reportedly Been Sympathetic
Fellow protection officers are said to have offered considerable solidarity, several noting they’ve faced similar informal expectations themselves over the years without ever having formally pushed back, suggesting this particular officer may have simply been the first to reach his limit rather than the first to experience the frustration.
A Small Window Into a Genuinely Demanding Job
This blog finds something quietly humanising in the image of a highly trained protection officer, presumably skilled in considerably more serious matters of security and risk assessment, submitting a formal request specifically because he is tired of walking dogs through mud during his actual working hours. Even the most serious institutions, it seems, occasionally need someone to simply say, politely but firmly, that this was never really part of the job. Further royal household dispatches continue at bohiney.com, with additional London royal watching coverage available at prat.uk.
SOURCE: https://prat.UK/