It’s been revealed that an intruder was on the loose at Buckingham Palace at around 2am on Wednesday morning while the Queen was fast asleep, after scaling the fence of the monarch’s residence.
Once inside the gates, the intruder reportedly banged on the doors, wanting to be let in before police apprehended him, which took them around four minutes after trying to assess whether he was armed.
Talking to The Sun, a royal source revealed: “There was an intruder at the Palace while the Queen lay sleeping in her bedroom and he was on the loose for a good few minutes before the cops arrested him.
“He was determined to get inside the palace and was banging down the doors but, thank goodness, this time everything was locked up.”
The Queen is thankfully safe, after an intruder broke into the grounds of Buckingham Palace in the early hours of Wednesday morning. (Image: Getty)
A statement from the Metropolitan Police confirmed the incident saying that a 22-year-old man had been apprehended.
“The man was not found in possession of any offensive weapons and the incident is not being treated as terrorist-related.
“He remains in custody at a central London police station.”
While we’re relieved the Queen is fine (she was reportedly the only senior member of the royal family staying at the Palace due to the refurbishment), this is not the first time Buckingham Palace has dealt with similar incidents.
The most infamous break-in was Michael Fagan’s in 1982, which was one of the biggest breaches of Palace security.
According to The Sun the 31-year-old unemployed labourer scaled the walls of the Palace and entered the Queen’s bedroom.
Inside Fagan, who suffered from schizophrenia, began to tell the monarch about his family problems.
The Queen reportedly pushed the panic button by her bed but got no response.
It was eventually the Queen’s long-time aide Paul Whybew who came to the Queen’s rescue, when he returned with the corgis.
Queen Elizabeth has loved corgis from a very young age. (Image: Getty)
Talking to The Sun, another royal insider wondered if the man had attempted to copycat the 1982 incident remarking: “This intruder got into the Palace almost 37 years to the day since Michael Fagan ended up getting inside the Queen’s bedroom.
“There is a genuine theory and very real fear that he could have been launching a copycat operation.”
Adding: “The police eventually detained him under the mental health act, but they have to ask some serious questions about how he got on and how he had so long to roam free.
“How is it possible all these years later that someone can climb the fence and get right inside the grounds without being stopped immediately? What about heat censors and CCTV? The Queen’s safety should be paramount.”
The Queen earlier this week, planting a tree in Cambridge. (Image: Getty)
It had been a busy day for the monarch the day before, paying a visit to Cambridge where she stopped in at The National Institute of Agricultural Botany, Queen’s College and Royal Papworth Hospital.
When visiting the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, the Queen took part in an event to celebrate 100 years of crop research, which involved tree planting, and the Queen was more than eager to take part.
However it was what she said, rather than what she did that has had people talking.
Proving that age is but a number, the 93-year-old monarch said she was “perfectly capable of planting a tree,” when she was offered a helping hand by the institute’s chairman Jim Godfrey, as she grabbed a spade and filled the hole with dirt.
WATCH: The Queen plants a tree after telling guests shes “perfectly capable”. Story continues below…
It was later revealed that it had never even been in the plans for the Queen to plant a tree, she had originally only been there to overlook the tree planting.
“She handed her handbag to her someone and seized the spade,” an onlooker told the press.
“She obviously wanted to do it.”
As if we needed another reason to love the Queen!
