Royals have their private locations accidentally exposed by their own bodyguards in major security risk

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Svar Nanan-Sen

By Svar Nanan-Sen


Published: 12/07/2025

- 08:50

The exposed data also included locations of high-level government meetings

Security personnel protecting Sweden's Royal Family and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have inadvertently exposed highly sensitive location data through their use of the Strava fitness application.

The breach has revealed critical information, including the prime minister's residential address and details about the Royal Family's holiday destinations.


Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter uncovered the security lapse after analysing more than 1,400 workout sessions logged by seven bodyguards over the previous twelve months.

The exposed data also included locations of high-level government meetings and other confidential sites.

Kate Middleton

The Swedish royals pictured alongside Prince William and Kate in 2018.

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The bodyguards' tracked movements spanned multiple countries, from New York's Central Park to regions near the Polish-Ukrainian border.

The Swedish Security Police (SÄPO) have confirmed they are treating the matter with utmost seriousness.

"This is a matter of data that could be used to gather information about the activities of our Service," a SÄPO spokesperson stated.

The spokesperson explained that protection for high-profile individuals involves multiple security layers, with close protection officers forming just one element of the overall strategy.

Royal Family

Security personnel protecting Sweden's Royal Family and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have inadvertently exposed highly sensitive location data through their use of the Strava fitness application.

Getty

"Our Service is now taking the necessary steps to ensure that our procedures are followed closely, so that this does not happen again," they added.

Neither the prime minister's office nor the Swedish Royal Court have commented on the revelations.

Dagens Nyheter has reported that Swedish police are conducting an investigation into the data exposure.

This security breach follows a pattern of similar incidents involving fitness tracking applications and high-profile political figures.

Royal Family

In 2024, French newspaper Le Monde identified comparable "security holes" that exposed the movements of President Emmanuel Macron and then-US President Joe Biden.

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In 2024, French newspaper Le Monde identified comparable "security holes" that exposed the movements of President Emmanuel Macron and then-US President Joe Biden.

Strava has responded to the Swedish incident by emphasising that no data breach or leak occurred within their systems.

"To be clear, there has not been a leak or breach of user data," a company spokesman told The New York Times.

The spokesperson added: "We expect Strava users working in sensitive professions to leverage the privacy settings available."