Armed gang members who stole more than $3 million (£2million) in holiday spending money from the Dubai Royal Family while it was being loaded into a car are currently on trial.

Reports are that the royal family had set the money aside for a visit to London on June 24.

According to the Daily Mail, Royal aide Abdullah Shakeri, who has been with the royal family for six years, testified that he thought the gang members were joking when he was first told to Put the cases down or I'll shoot you in the face.

The aide quickly realized that it was a serious robbery when the threats were made a second time. He was told by gang members to run into a shop or be shot, the Daily Mail reported.

Shakeri was first approached when he was outside the Emirates Bank in Knightsbridge, West London. The money was divided into £50 notes and was being held in two suitcases.

The royal family were in the UK and required money for their stay here, Prosecutor Alexandra Felix said as reported by the Daily Mail. Mr. Shakeri had made arrangements to collect the money. He and the manager went into a room to count the money. The cash was in £50 note bundles which was placed in suitcases.

Shakeri, who spoke behind a screen, said he was about to put the second case in the car when he was approached.

He said the man who robbed him was a young Middle Eastern man who was wearing a leather jacket. The suspect was about 5 feet 6 inches and had short, dark gelled hair.

Shakeri said the man had what he believed was a black automatic handgun.

That suspect then later shouted for his accomplice, a man Shakeri described as a black man wearing a white hard hat and a high visibility jacket, who told him to run into a nearby shop.

We did as we were asked so we went into a H&M just next to the bank, Shakeri said.

The robbers later fled the scene and the royal family staff radioed the diplomatic protection group who tracked down the suspects.

Police caught the getaway driver Johnathon Haynes, 36, and found the royal family's stolen cash.

Authorities also later found the hard hat, the high-visibility jacket and a passport belonging to Trevor Mair, 46, inside the car.

Smartphone London United kingdom Smartphone