Police squad which supplies bodyguards for the Royal Family is facing a staffing crisis

The police squad which supplies bodyguards for the Royal Family is facing a staffing crisis, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

An internal Scotland Yard report seen by this newspaper highlights a failure to fill up to 91 vacancies in the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit.

The squad – which may now be almost 20 per cent short of recommended full strength – has faced increasing demands in recent years as the Royal Family grows, with new members including the Duchess of Sussex.

It also provides close protection for the Prime Minister and senior Ministers.

A review by Home Office civil servants warned two years ago that the rise in the number of VIPs meant the unit needed to be increased from 449 to 540 officers.

Despite extra funding being provided, an internal report by the Metropolitan Police reveals the force ‘has found it extremely difficult to provide or outsource’ the training courses to fill the vacancies.

The latest accounts for the Metropolitan Police show 47 officers from the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit earned an average of £106,383 in 2016/2017.

Last night a Met spokesman said: ‘We are not prepared to discuss matters of security.’

An internal Scotland Yard report seen by this newspaper highlights a failure to fill up to 91 vacancies in the Royalty and Specialist Protection unit (Pictured: The Duke and Duchess of Sussex)