Overview
- Senior Royal Household staff removed access passes for five Royalty and Specialist Protection (RaSP) officers in late May 2026 after a female Kensington Palace employee filed a complaint about a series of inappropriate comments.
- The Metropolitan Police investigated and found the officers' conduct fell below expected standards but did not meet the threshold for misconduct, so the officers were given reflective practice, an internal remedial measure to prompt learning.
- The five officers have been redeployed to other armed duties within the Met and Prince William and Catherine were informed of the decision without being directly involved in the Royal Household action.
- The case forms part of wider scrutiny of RaSP, with separate reports that up to around 20–30 staff have been subject to misconduct notices or restricted duties and fresh allegations, including officers sleeping on duty at Windsor Castle; the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards has opened further probes and the IOPC has been notified.
- The split between the Met’s disciplinary outcome and the Royal Household’s access ban raises fresh questions about how protective standards are enforced at royal sites and means oversight decisions by the DPS and the Royal Household will be watched closely for security and cultural consequences.