Queen's Guard move behind gates due to terror risk

Soldiers guarding key Royal residences in London have been withdrawn from their posts outside the palaces, amid reports members of the Queen's Guard could be targeted in terror attacks.

They now stand behind metal gates - with some even being accompanied by armed police.

At Whitehall, armed officers stood watch over Horseguards this afternoon, though the guards remained on public view.

Speaking to ITV London, Dr John Gearson, a terrorism expert at Kings College London, said: "I would prefer that normal life continued and that has tended to be the approach of British counter terrorism policy - that we are winning as long as our normal day to day life doesn't change too much."

He described the move as "a regrettable necessity."

In August, Home Secretary Theresa May raised the UK's terror threat level from substantial to severe, meaning that a terrorist attack is highly likely.

The Metropolitan Police Service, Buckingham Palace and the Ministry of Defence have all refused to comment on any changes to the Queen's Guard.

The new regime also affects St James's Palace, with soldiers moved from their front positions to places inside a courtyard, and Clarence House where soldiers have now been moved inside the gates.

In their trademark red uniforms and bearskin hats, the Queen's Guard and are an obvious show of pageantry that attracts millions of tourists every year. That could well change if a move behind locked gates becomes a permanent one. But the changes highlight the ongoing battle to balance security with centuries of tradition in the heart of London.