The Royal Household Security Service, officially Security Service of the Household of His Majesty the King (), is unit of the

Royal Household of Spain The Royal Household of Spain, officially Household of His Majesty the King (), is the constitutional body whose primary function is to provide aid and support to the King of Spain in the exercise of his royal duties and prerogatives. These inc ...

permanently responsible for the Royal Family’s immediate (bodyguards) security. Likewise, it also provide security to other close relatives of the monarch and authorities of the Royal Household. The Security Service, which is part of the General Secretariat of the Royal Household, is integrated by a Chief and members of the national law enforcement agencies, assigned from the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

History

The Security Service was created in 1979, three years after the restoration of the

Monarchy A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, reigns as head of state for the rest of their life, or until abdication. The extent of the authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutio ...

. At first, the Royal Guard was responsible for the direct protection of the King of Spain and his Family, however, as of Royal Decree 310/1979, of February 13, a second service was established to protect them, the Security Service. The service was staffed by agents from the Civil Guard and the

National Police Corps The National Police Corps (, CNP; ; also known simply as the National Police, ) is the national civilian police, police force of Spain. The CNP is mainly responsible for policing urban areas, whilst rural policing is generally the responsibil ...

specially trained for the immediate protection of VIPs. Since then, the Security Service has been responsible for the immediate protection of the Royal Family and other related authorities, while the Royal Guard is responsible for collaborating in external protection, protecting royal palaces and other Crown properties, as well as acting as a ceremonial guard.

Staff

The Security Service, as indicated in the second paragraph of article 7 of Royal Decree 434/1988, of May 6, is composed by members of the State Security Forces, mainly the Civil Guard and the National Police Corps.

Selection

The places to be bodyguard of the Royal Family are very scarce and they are freely appointed positions. These are some of the requirements that are required to join the Security Service: * Not having reached the age of 38 and being less than 36 in the case of motorcyclists. * The level of languages, knowledge of computing, electronics and the Civil Guard, the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a ...

and civilian specialization courses related to the service to be provided are valued: protection of people, shooting, personal defense, driving, etc. * Psychotechnical tests, a personal interview and various physical tests are carried out, including: reaction speed, resistance, vertical jump, push-ups or swimming, among others. * If all the tests are passed, they will be summoned to the selection-training phase. The bodyguards will complete a 26-day internal course.

Vehicles

The land transportation vehicles most used in the King's Royal House are those of the

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

brand, specifically two models, the

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W221) The Mercedes-Benz W221 is a chassis code of the fifth generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, S-Class, produced from August 2005 until June 2013. The W221 S-Class was unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show#2005, 2005 Frankfurt Motor Show as the successo ...

and the

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W220) The Mercedes-Benz W220 is a range of flagship sedan (car), sedans which, as the fourth generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class, replaced the Mercedes-Benz W140, W140 S-Class after model year 1998 — with long and short wheelbase versions, performance ...

, both armoured. These are property of the

State Vehicle Fleet The State Vehicle Fleet (, PME) is an autonomous agency of the Spanish Department of Finance responsible for providing transportation to national-level authorities, both for the General State Administration and for the constitutional bodies ( Ro ...

. Also, occasionally, gala cars are used such as the exclusive

Rolls-Royce Phantom IV The Rolls-Royce Phantom IV is a British automobile produced by Rolls-Royce Limited, Rolls-Royce. Only eighteen were made between 1950 and 1956, sold only to buyers whom Rolls-Royce considered worthy of the distinction: the British royal family ...

, property of the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. These are used for

proclamations A proclamation (Lat. ''proclamare'', to make public by announcement) is an official declaration issued by a person of authority to make certain announcements known. Proclamations are currently used within the governing framework of some nations ...

, parades or transport of foreign authorities. The sovereign's vehicle can be distinguished by carrying a special crimson license plate with a golden royal crown in the center, as well as a pennant with its banner, while the heir to the Crown uses the same symbology but with the traditional blue color of the

Principality of Asturias Asturias (; ; ) officially the Principality of Asturias, is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive with the provinces of Spain, province of Asturias and contains some of the territory t ...

. The air transportation of the Royal Family and other government officials is mainly provided by the

45th Wing The 45th Wing (), until 2025 known as 45th Air Force Group, is a Wing (military unit), wing of the Spanish Air and Space Force responsible for air transportation of the Spanish royal family, the Prime Minister of Spain, prime minister and high-ran ...

(planes) and the 402nd Air Force Squadron (helicopters).

Referencias

{{Reflist Protective security units Royal guards