The most expensive bodyguards in the world: the cost of keeping the elite safe
Fame delivers comfort - yet it also forces a person to stay under guard at all times. Well-known people pay large amounts for guards so that strangers do not come too close and so that no one harms them. In Hollywood, a top level bodyguard is not an extra - it is required.
Jennifer Aniston pays more than $240,000 each year for guards, a cost that started when Friends turned her into a star. Katy Perry raised her guard budget to $350,000 after she began to judge on American Idol and after her daughter was born. Halle Berry spends about $300,000 per year on protection besides Bella Hadid sets aside $250,000 so that photographers and fans stay at a safe distance.
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Singers pay some of the highest bills. Taylor Swift allots roughly $400,000 a year because crowds follow her across the world. Adele pays Peter van der Veen $75,000 per year for his services. Britney Spears spends $600,000. Jennifer Lopez or Rihanna each lay out $500,000. Madonna also pays $500,000, even though her fortune exceeds $600 million. Lady Gaga budgets $125,000 and Barbra Streisand does the same. Kesha pays only when she needs a guard - those days add up to about $75,000.
A few stars step far beyond those figures. David next to Victoria Beckham spend more than $1 million every year so that guards travel with them and their children. Boxer Floyd Mayweather sets aside $750,000. Michael Jackson, while alive, spent about $1 million per year on security.
Kylie Jenner, who built her fame through reality TV and social media, pays $4.8 million per year, the largest amount on record. Meghan Markle besides Kate Middleton each need more than $20 million per year for protection - the royal household covers the bill, because their roles attract constant danger.
Daniel Radcliffe spends about $50,000 per year, a lower figure that shows how costs rise with fame. Each public figure must match the guard plan to personal habits, level of fame and real threats - protection is now a basic part of life under lights and cameras.
