A close protection officer has revealed why working on royal events is unlike any other.
Ryan Barby, a former Airborne soldier and close protection operative, has worked with celebrities such as Stormzy and late Liam Payne during his surveillance career.
And he also had the privilege of serving during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and her funeral in the same year. He highlighted the stark differences between assignments involving celebrities and assisting the Royal Family’s personal protection team as an ex-military bodyguard.
The Nottingham-born officer, who joined the army at 16 and served in Afghanistan, said: “The difference being on the high profile jobs is you have to stay switched on 24/7.
“When it goes live there are cameras absolutely everywhere from all media around the world so it would be a massive embarrassment for you within the industry to be caught on your phone or messing around not paying attention. You could potentially be thrown off task on the spot with no second chances.”
The highly trained officer has also supported the American Secret Service during Joe Biden’s visit to Edinburgh. His first encounter with the royals was when he received a military medal from Prince Charles in 2008 for Operation Herrick in Afghanistan.
However, one of the most significant moments of his career was being on active duty on September 19, 2022, when Queen Elizabeth was given a state funeral.
MMA fighter Ryan, who has previously faced the intensity of frontline combat, explained what working at the funeral was really like.
He recalled: “It was a very unique role that day, assisting many different world leaders and their close protection teams. It was extremely interesting watching how they all operate because every nation uses different tactics.
“I would never disclose any tactics used but it was a good learning curve and great experience seeing world class operators in action.”
Ryan, also vigilant during the Queen’s Jubilee against potential terrorist threats, reflected on the profound respect the late monarch commanded worldwide.
Detailing the day’s atmosphere, he said: “Her majesty carried a lot of respect around the world and it was clear to see that day she will be deeply missed and she powerfully cemented herself in the history books that’s for sure with a reported more than one million people turning up.”
Tackling gruelling shifts while honouring the Queen’s Jubilee, the distinguished bodyguard worked tirelessly across five nights with obligations extending beyond 12 hours each. He reminisced about this period as a “great highlight” attributing his endurance to his military background.
He had to remain on his feet all day but said his military career prepped him well, and he concluded: “The proudest moment for me is knowing I am doing this work for my children.
“So no matter how tough it gets I have to keep going for them.”
