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The Queen's Royal Guards have been ordered to move inside the gates of the UK's royal palaces amid heightened fears of a terror attack.

Security chiefs made the decision to re-position the elite soldiers as the country faces possible threats from Islamic extremists, according to reports in the Mail on Sunday.

Soldiers must now also be on duty with armed police for the first time since the IRA was considered a serious risk to state security.

Clarence House, Horse Guards Parade, St James's Palace and Windsor Castle are among the royal sites affected by the changes.

Retired officer Major Iain Dalzel-Job of the Scots Guards told the newspaper: "I think this is a big shame. The reason people know we’re around is because they can see us. But I suppose the changes are necessary as there is a significant threat."

Tourists visiting Clarence House, the official residence of Prince Charles, can now only take pictures of the royal guards through the metal gates.

Meanwhile at Horse Guards Parade, the soldiers remain visible but armed police have been enlisted to protect them.

At St James's Palace, the guards have been moved away from the clock tower on Pall Mall into a secluded courtyard.

Buckingham Palace and the Metropolitan Police both declined to comment on security matters.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: "We routinely review security arrangements."

Last month Met Police commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said security services had foiled "four or five" terrorist plots this year and that the threat was increasing.