LONDON - THIEVES tried to rob Queen Elizabeth II's 19-year-old granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, and her friends while they were travelling in Cambodia, a British newspaper reported on Monday.

Royal protection officers had to intervene to protect the princess, the youngest daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, when a thief tried to steal her friend's purse as they walked through Phnom Penh one night, the Sun said.

The two officers tackled the thief but were pelted with stones by another man, forcing them to let him go and focus on getting the princess to safety.

They also managed to retrieve the purse.

The Sun said it was the first time in ten years that protection officers have stopped a direct threat to a member of the royal family. -- AFP