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A bodyguard to the Queen has been left “angry and frustrated” after his French wife of 24 years was left fearing for her right to stay in the UK.

Former Marine Simon Milne, 58, has served in Northern Ireland and Bosnia and is one of 27 Gentlemen at Arms who guard the Monarch on royal occasions.

His wife Francoise, 50, applied for a permanent residency card after the Government “failed to clarify” the future rights of EU nationals living in the UK.

(Image: PA)

Francoise, who has three children with her husband, said her application was refused in October as she could not prove she was “self-sufficient”.

Simon, who is chief executive of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, said: “With the uncertainty around Brexit, my wife decided to apply for permanent residency.

"She has supported me through my career with the Royal Marines and now in my current role.

“I am flabbergasted with this decision. I am angry and frustrated.”

Francoise, of Edinburgh, said her “world has been shattered” by the Brexit vote.

She said: “I don’t know what will happen after 2019. I don’t know if there will be time limits on how long I can stay in the country.

“I have participated in British society, I have raised three children, I have voted, I have worked.”

The couple’s MP Deidre Brock has raised their case in the Commons.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The rights of EU nationals living in the UK remain unchanged.

“EU citizens who have made their lives in the UK have made a huge contribution to our country and we want them to stay.”