Kate ‘undergoing SAS course to protect herself from kidnappers’

London: The Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly on a Special Air Service (SAS)-run course to protect herself from potential kidnappers.

Kate, 29, has attracted millions of fans since her wedding to Prince William in April 2011, but is now at an increased risk of being targeted by terrorists and abductors. “The Palace want to ensure Kate’s new status doesn’t make her vulnerable to attack,” the Sun quoted a source as saying. “She has been well trained in what to do should the unthinkable happen. VIP kidnap protection training teaches how to cope both mentally and physically. The mental element involves reacting to unusual situations, such as when there was a stranger in the Queen’s bedroom - and she just started talking to him,” the source added. Prince William took the SAS personal protection training when he was just 16, while his mother the late Princess Diana, father Prince Charles and grandmother the Queen also underwent the course. It teaches people how to notice anything unusual in routine surroundings, how to react to attacks, how to build a relationship with their captors and how to pass on coded messages. The full training regime can take several months but it is not known whether Kate has taken a shortened version. The exact venue for her training has been kept under wraps though she may have done some of it in North Wales, where she lives with William. ANI