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“Here is the current folder on Rose, her likes, dislikes, her public schedule for the next month, past issues, current issues, her drivers, her cars, her team, everything about them. I suggest you take it away and get reading. We will run a briefing for the team every morning at 7am on the day ahead. Following that I will arrange for a 1:1 for you every morning with an experienced Close Protection officer so we are constantly upskilling you. We need you to be the best, which we obviously cannot achieve but let’s hope for her sake we can get you up to a vaguely passable standard.”
“This morning you will have Firearms training with me. Rose won’t be moving until this afternoon so I’ll take you out to the range and see if you can shoot.”
“Sure,” replied Erin.
I’ll show you I can damn well shoot, she thought to herself. I am SO much better than you think I am.
Hours later and Erin had managed to shoot ‘pretty well for a beginner’ according to Evans, so she was beginning to prove herself slowly but surely.
Alexandra’s schedule said she was leaving for horse riding at 2pm so Erin got ready for 1.30pm. She wore her riding clothes and pulled on the shoulder holster for her 9mm Glock 17 pistol. She fed her earpiece radio wire through the sleeve of the jacket they had given her to the wrist and then put it on covering the gun. People in the UK are always shocked by guns. Erin had been trained to keep her weapon concealed. Her riding hat and a change of clothes were in a bag she asked Jess to have taken down to the cars. She looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. She was ready. First day as bodyguard to the future Queen. She smiled. She figured the riding might be a test, so she was ready for whatever Alexandra had to throw at her.
Alexandra swept out of her apartment at 2pm exactly.
“Good afternoon Erin,” she said.
“Good afternoon Ma’am,” Erin replied and she fell into step behind Alexandra. She lifted her wrist and the microphone for her radio to her lips and spoke quietly:
“This is Kennedy. Rose is on the move. Over.”
She heard t
he response immediately from James the driver:
“Roger. We are ready to go. Over”
They headed down the wide staircase, through the grand hallway, out of the main palace doors. The three black Range Rovers waited patiently. James was holding open the back door of the second vehicle. Alexandra got in the back of the Range Rover and Erin got in the front passenger seat. James got into the driver’s seat.
“Good afternoon Ma’am.” said James jovially. “Everything as the schedule for this afternoon?”
“Please, James,” Alexandra responded.
James started the car and Erin spoke into the radio:
“This is Kennedy. Rose is moving as per the schedule. Over.”
Then they set off. So far, so good, thought Erin. Everything going smoothly. There was a lot more to Close Protection than most people realised. It wasn’t about running round with a gun, taking out the bad guys as if you were in a movie. So much of it was the complex dance of radio transmissions, working with your team, informing your back up of your moves, making sure you didn’t impede on the Princess’s life any more than was absolutely necessary. Planning ahead to avoid danger, being extremely vigilant at all times. Very rarely were you expected to fight or shoot. But, if you did need to, you had better hope your skills were up to scratch or everything would end badly. Very, very badly.
They arrived at a large hilly woodland owned by the Royal Family. There was a horse box there and two stable girls standing outside of it holding beautiful horses. A small, compact grey horse and a big rangy looking chestnut. The horses wore saddles and bridles ready and the stable girls huddled in coats and scarves against the cold wind. Erin had studied maps of the woodland, memorised all the tracks. Studied Google Earth to try and get a handle on the many tracks, but she knew that she wouldn’t know it quite well enough yet. Not until she had been round in person. There were two GPS wristbands she had been issued with. A silver one engraved with ‘Rose’, she handed to Alexandra as they got out of the car.
“Thank you Sergeant Kennedy,” said Alexandra.
The other one, Erin snapped onto her own wrist.
The back up team would follow their GPS location and make sure the cars were moved to the nearest pick up point. It was Erin’s job to know the fastest way to the cars at any point. Erin’s job to watch for danger and to keep in radio contact with the back up.
“Good afternoon Paige. Good afternoon Michelle.” Alexandra remembered the names of the stable girls too. It was astounding, Erin thought. She remembered everyone’s names, or perhaps she had Jess brief her on which staff she would see each day, so it looked like she remembered their names. Either way, it made everyone feel special. It made everyone feel that bit of warm Princess Alexandra magic.
“This is Amber.” Alexandra gestured to the chestnut horse as she spoke to Erin. “You will ride her.”
Erin nodded and mounted the lovely Amber whilst Alexandra mounted the dazzlingly white horse. Erin wondered how many hours and what special shampoos it had taken the stable girls to make the white horse so clean.
And then they were off. Riding away from everyone. Erin felt nervous. Not of the riding, that bit was easy and comfortable for her, just nervous that she did everything right. She knew as the new girl and as a woman she would be constantly having to prove herself. She rode slightly to the side and behind Alexandra, giving her her space, still not knowing exactly how Alexandra liked everything. It was one thing reading and learning Alexandra’s preferences but another to actually work so closely with one of the most famous women in the world.
Erin’s horse was beautifully trained, it was obvious as soon as they set off. The mare was light in the hand and responsive to the leg. It was a pleasure to ride such a lovely horse.
Alexandra turned around in the saddle and looked back to Erin.
“Erin, please ride beside me.”
