A former royal protection officer has outlined several “credible threats” facing King Charles’s Coronation this Saturday. Simon Morgan, who spent six years protecting Queen Elizabeth II and then-Prince Charles from outside threats, said “there’s always a risk” when it comes to the King’s safety as he also detailed how Prince Harry’s Taliban comments have impacted the security strategy.

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A huge security operation, years in the making, is in place for Saturday’s historic event – with millions of Brits, the Royal Family, and officials, dignitaries and foreign royalty all taking to the streets of London as police officers line the streets.

Yesterday, May 2, a man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace after throwing suspected shotgun cartridges into Palace grounds.

Speaking after the security scare, Mr Morgan, who worked for the Royal Family from 2007 to 2013, told Express.co.uk: “There’s always a risk. You’re looking at a scenario where, yes, you are looking at the King, but you’re also protecting the office.

“It’s not just the monarchy, it’s UK PLC. It’s our standing in the world.”

The former royal protection officer said the outrage prompted by Prince Harry’s comments about his killing of Taliban fighters would have to “be taken into account” by those organising the security.

After the Duke, in his memoir Spare, said he did not think of those he killed as “people” but as “chess pieces”, there was outcry from Afghans who had lost members of their family to British airstrikes – but also from extremists such as hate preacher Anjem Choudary, who called for jihadis to target Britain in response.

Mr Morgan said: “Certainly, a lot of Islamic rabble-rousers were straight out within hours of his statement [about the Taliban], saying it’s an affront to Islam. You’ve got to factor that in. The risk caused by that will be looked at by the analysts.”

He added that Harry “will be part of the overall policing plan as opposed to something quite specific just for him.”

The bodyguard said that another key threat to the event was Irish Republicans – who in 1979 killed Lord Louis Mountbatten, Queen Elizabeth II’s second cousin, with a hidden bomb on his fishing boat.

Describing them as a “credible threat”, he said: “International terrorism [risk] currently stands at substantial, which means an attack is likely. We’ve had serious issues with Irish Republican terrorism here on the mainland.”

He indicated that the Coronation could be a significant target for this form of extremism, highlighting that the “Royal Family have already been victims of Irish Republican terrorism themselves”.

He added: “There are people out there who genuinely want to do us harm. You have to factor that in because it is going to be such a major part of it.”

MI5 identifies four main dissident republican groups that continue to operate in Northern Ireland: the new IRA, the Continuity IRA, Óglaigh na hÉireann, and Arm na Poblacht.

But another threat could come in the form of activist groups who want to use the worldwide media coverage as an opportunity to promote a certain cause.

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Mr Morgan highlighted Just Stop Oil, Extinction Rebellion, and Not My King as groups that, while not attempting to cause direct harm to the Royal Family or those watching the procession, may disrupt their event for their own ends.

He suggested they may try to “use the world’s media” during the event. This is also impacted by the foreign officials and dignitaries who are in attendance.

He said: “You’ve also got to look at, what else is going on in the world and what could affect this event? You have the bigger threat of somebody who wishes to do harm, but you also have the threat of somebody who wishes to use the world’s media to highlight their cause.

“You know, we have the deputy Chinese president coming so you know, will people use that will Chinese dissidents use that as an excuse to highlight China’s torture regime?”

But he said there will be a very substantial security presence at the event, with police utilising “everything” at their disposal to keep it safe – including officers lining the route, snipers on rooftops, and plainclothes police officers hidden within the crowds.

Named Operation Golden Orb, the security plan has, Mr Morgan said, been in the works for “years”.

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