When the royal family travels overseas, security is the top priority, and planning will have started months out from the Prince and Princess of Wales’s trip to Boston.
In the US, the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) is responsible for the protection of Prince William and Princess Catherine during their three-day trip to Massachusetts, their first visit to America since 2014.
They coordinate with UK protection services and the palaces to arrange for coverage during visits by senior royals.
Agents from the DSS spoke with ABC News about the role of the agency and the process of arranging security for the royal couple.
Andrew Wroblewski, the deputy assistant secretary and assistant director of the US Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) for domestic operations, explained: “We are the law enforcement and security arm of the US Department of State and we protect the secretary of state, foreign dignitaries who are visiting the United States, foreign ministers, former heads of state, members of the royal family, in this case, as well as US citizens, athletes, corporate sponsors.”
Mr Wroblewski, who in the past has served on various protective details, said the agency has been working with UK officials to firm up William and Kate’s schedule and protection strategy.
“So, whenever the Diplomatic Security Service has a visiting foreign dignitary, what we do is we assess the threat against that dignitary in the United States,” he continued. “We have our Threat Investigations and Analysis Directorate, they’ll actually look at all source reporting from open source to classified intelligence. And we’ll make it a determination on whether or not we need to protect that person and at what level we need to provide protection.”
Matthew O’Brien who, as the assistant special agent in charge of the Boston DSS field, will be leading coverage for the visit, told ABC News preparations began in September.
The operation spans multiple jurisdictions and involves 11 law enforcement agencies, from local police to state police and the federal government.
“I’m confident in the plan we’ve we’ve built,” he told the network, noting the multi-tiered levels of coordination necessary to protect visiting dignitaries. “I will say that we cannot do anything without our state and local partners.”
