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Princess Eugenie mugged in Cambodia

By Ruth Doherty on Tuesday 5 May 2009

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Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie

Princess Eugenie and her group of friends endured a terrifying experience in Cambodia after being targeted by muggers.

The Queen's granddaughter, who is sixth in line to the throne, was saved from harm by two bodyguards when robbers grabbed her friend's purse.

The two men from Scotland Yard's top SO14 protection squad rugby-tackled one of the men to the ground.

But as they tried to get him under control, the other robber pelted them with rocks.

Fearing for Eugenie's safety they let the thief go, grabbed the purse and whisked her and her friend away as quickly as possible.

It is the first time in 10 years that an SO14 officer has had to stop a direct threat to to a royal.

Princess Beatrice and Eugenie's round-the-clock publicly-funded protection has sparked criticism for its whopping cost of £250,000 a year.

The recession and the fact that their cousins Zara and Peter Phillips do not have the same kind of protection, has made their entourage even more questionable.

Since finishing her A-levels at £9,000-a-term Marlborough College in Wiltshire last summer, Eugenie, 19, has jetted to India, America and South Africa, and this week has been relaxing with pals in Phuket.

Although Eugenie has been staying in basic £15-a-night beach huts with friends, the cost of protection for this trip alone is thought to be in the region of £100,000.

The mugging happened as Eugenie and two friends were walking along in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, and it is thought the robbers had no idea of her royal status.