There was no suggestion that any of the royal family's plans had been disrupted by the incident. The incident took place at about 0830 GMT.Ĭharles, Camilla and other royal family members were pictured later in the morning arriving for a Christmas church service at St George's Chapel within the Windsor Castle complex. She added that members of the royal family had been informed about the incident and that police did not believe there was a wider danger to the public. 'The man has been arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon,' said Thames Valley Police Superintendent Rebecca Mears. The 95-year-old monarch, who has spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic at Windsor Castle, was celebrating Christmas there with her son, Prince Charles, his wife, Camilla, and other close family. The 19-year-old from Southampton in southern England did not enter any buildings and security processes were triggered within moments, Thames Valley Police said in a statement. Photo: AFPĪ man who entered the grounds of Windsor Castle, where Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is spending Christmas, has been arrested and is being held on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, police said on Saturday. The royal family’s security may have seemed lax by American standards, The New York Times said, stating, “Traditionally, the royal family has preferred a minimum of security so as to limit the disruption to their lives and the barriers from the people.Britain's Queen Elizabeth II records her address to the UK and the Commonwealth in relation to the coronavirus outbreak at Windsor Castle, west of London on Sunday. On June 19, 1981, three Germans made it into the gardens by climbing a wall, thinking they were going into Hyde Park on August 5, 1981, a 24-year-old man was found on the palace grounds and taken into psychiatric care and on June 17, 1982, a 25-year-old showed a knife to bypass two guards. Palace break-ins were not entirely uncommon, especially during that time.

But ultimately it was the “inadequate” response to the Queen’s calls that truly posed the biggest risk, according to the Scotland Yards report. An alarm in the first Stamp Room also went unanswered. One officer had seen Fagan climbing the railings and passed along the message, but no action was taken. With a generally relaxed security protocol, palace break-ins were not uncommon.Ī complete investigation was launched, concluding that a failure in communication between police officers may have been the cause. Eventually, the police did show up and removed him from the palace.įagan remembers the incident differently, telling The Independent UK that as soon as the Queen saw him, “She went past me and ran out of the room her little bare feet running across the floor.” During this time, the footman returned from walking the dogs and helped occupy Fagan while the queen tended to her beloved corgis. While she continued to wait, the Queen was able to catch the eye of a maid - and two worked together to lead Fagan into a pantry by offering him a cigarette. Six minutes later, no help had arrived, so she called again. The police lodge received the call at 7:18 a.m. She then used the telephone by her bed, telling the palace’s telephonist to send police to her room. The Queen pushed her night alarm bell, but since it was after the night police’s shift and no one was in the corridor or the pantry where it rings, it went unanswered. Her nightie was one of those Liberty prints and it was down to her knees.” Decades later, he told The Independent UK, “It was a double bed but a single room, definitely – she was sleeping in there on her own. With a piece of the broken ashtray in his hand, Fagan entered Her Majesty’s bedroom and opened the curtains of her bed.

Buckingham palace intruder