Every time the British royal family has been threatened with an attack or robbery at their palace

These are particularly delicate and highly risky situations that could have ended in something worse, though luckily the blood didn’t reach the river. However, the shock remains forever in the memory and, above all, the feeling of fragility and lack of protection that invades the environment after enduring an event of these characteristics. The British Royal Family has been involved in numerous incidents of this nature throughout its recent history (and beyond), the most recent being that Windsor Castle was attacked while the Princes of Wales and their children were sleeping on the grounds.

The Prince of Wales and their children, in an archive photo

Apparently, the intruders entered through the section, which is just minutes away from Adelaide Cottage, the home where the heir to the throne lives with his family. Once inside, the hoods steal a farm truck and a quad, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. The events, however they have now emerged, took place on October 13 and have once again called into question the security around Windsor. A controversy which is by no means new, since the extensive history of similar incidents goes back a long way and on this occasion is confined to the last half century only.

Crossbow Man on Christmas Day

On December 25, 2021, an intruder armed with a crossbow was apprehended after scaling a wall at Windsor Castle in an attempt to harm the late Elizabeth II. Jaswant Singh Chail, 23, of Southampton, responsible for the attack, would later be sentenced to nine years in prison for sedition. In that case, Thames Valley Police revealed at the time, officers acted around 8:30 a.m. after an alarm went off at the King and several members of his family were vacationing.

Isabel II, addressed the nation in one of her Christmas messages

The man, who had not entered any of the royal offices, was arrested for trespassing in a fortified place and for possession of arms. It was impactful news that reverberated across the planet, but it was not just another mildly alarming event that happened just a few months later. In April 2021, a few days after the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, a man and a woman climbed the fence of this same castle and wandered around for a long time. This was before they were discovered too close to fields where the Queen rode her horse, drove or walked her dogs.

Infiltrator of Spanish nationality who claimed to be Prince Andrew’s fiancee

A week before the said event, security guards at Windsor mistakenly claimed an unidentified woman as “Prince Andrew’s fiancee.” The woman, of Spanish nationality and about 40 years old, managed to enter the grounds of the Royal Lodge where Charles III’s brother lives. The scandal came to light six months later from Philip Grindell, a former Scotland Yard police officer. He said that when the intruder was apprehended, he had several maps of the area and a carabiner in his bag.

She introduced herself as Irene Windsor and managed to evade several controls with little resistance, attracting much attention due to the ease with which she entered the palace and stayed there for about an hour. Explaining what happened in the spring of 2021, the former agent revealed that it had to do with Andres de York’s “complex character” with his own employees. That’s why they decided not to bother him or ask him if he was expecting a visitor. In fact, they remember that the Prince used to reprimand the security personnel sternly if they “stopped” any of his guests at the door.

Attack on Buckingham Palace while the Queen slept: Michael Fagan’s famous case

In July 2019, a 22-year-old man managed to break into Buckingham Palace and was detained a few meters from the room where Elizabeth II was sleeping. For four long minutes, the intruder managed to scale the fence located in front of the building and break through several more doors, until the sovereign’s bodyguards subdued him and handed him over directly to the police.

The incident is inevitably reminiscent of another very similar and far more famous incident that took place almost 40 years ago, in July 1982, when a man named Michael Fagan also managed to circumvent Buckingham’s security, climb a pipe and sneak inside. One of the windows open at that time. He then walked down the corridor until he found the queen’s bedroom, which he entered without a hitch. Once there, he sat on a corner of the bed where the king was resting and he asked him: “What are you doing here?”

Later, according to the assailant, he exchanged a few more words with the head of state and said that he did not want to attack him, just tell him about his problems. Before he escaped and was arrested after the Queen was alerted. About this person’s profile, he was a 32-year-old artist who was not going through his best financial times and had a history of theft. Moreover, his wife left the matrimonial home with their four children. He committed his crime while intoxicated because, apparently, his intention was to hold the highest authorities of the country responsible for the crisis that the United Kingdom was going through.

The most curious thing that was later revealed was that this was not the first time he had hidden in the palace, as he had done the same without anyone noticing a few weeks earlier. He even quietly drank a bottle of wine in a room while looking at the paintings. He was never imprisoned for this incident, but was admitted to a psychiatric facility. Such was his popularity that he released his own theme song, and his case would be recreated by the series years later. CrownNetflix).

Catering employee who was hunted after a mysterious robbery

The incidents took place between November 2019 and August 2020, perpetrated by the Palace catering employee when he pleaded guilty after being arrested. Named Adamo Canto and aged 37, he stole a significant number of items, including an official image signed by England’s William and Kate Middleton and Prince Harry, as well as a photo album from a gala dinner he offered to Donald Trump. Tour of Great Britain.

Among the items found in his room at Buckingham Palace was a medal from Vice Admiral Tony Johnstone-Burt (which Adamo Canto put up for sale on eBay), as well as another Commander’s Royal Victorian medal of the former officer. Command of the British Army, Richard Sykes. It was also revealed in court that 77 items were taken from the Palace Store and the Queen’s Gallery, with pieces from staff lockers and Prince Andrew’s warehouse.

The stolen goods are valued between 11,000 and 112,000 euros and were for sale on the aforementioned auction and electronic commerce website. In total, 37 objects were sold on this platform for less than their original value. and by the sale of which Adamo Canto received about 8,000 euros. But how did this worker get access to so many products? Apparently, he took advantage of the pandemic to gain more direct access to the office and other areas, which he did not normally frequent due to his responsibilities.

Intruding journalist posing as a butler

It was November 2003 when British newspapers Daily Mirror It revealed the lack of security services at Buckingham Palace, where former US President George W. Bush was staying at the time. Newspaper reporter Ryan Perry said he spent two months working for the British royal family, a job he got using false references and which he applied for through the crown’s official website. “If he had been a terrorist with the intention of killing Queen Elizabeth or Bush, he could have done it with complete ease,” Nayak later said.

On the other hand, in June 2002, an Italian citizen entered St. James’s Palace, Prince Charles’ official residence, without permission. The intruder, 33, was inside the building for eight hours before a cleaning worker fell asleep. A police spokesman commented that the attacker, who has been diagnosed with a mental illness, had not crossed the ‘inner perimeter’ so was not in the Queen’s eldest son’s bedroom.

Reception of Charles of England at St. James's Palace — Reception of Charles of England at St. James’s Palace

Jump over the palace fence without major consequences

In May 2016, a 41-year-old man identified as Dennis Hennessy jumped the fence of London’s Buckingham Palace and was arrested seven minutes after the alarm was activated. Days later, he appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for trespassing and criminal damage. “I am satisfied that on this occasion the security system worked effectively and, therefore, no one was in danger,” said Adrian Usher, head of the Special Protection Police Unit at the Royal House in London.

In August of the same year, a 22-year-old man was arrested for the same act: jumping the fence surrounding the palace. This happened when Elizabeth II was spending the summer at her residence in Balmoral (Scotland). In fact, no member of the British royal family was inside the building at the time of the incident. On the other hand, in 2015, a group of parents protesting shared custody managed to bypass security and enter the premises. These are just a few examples of how some managed to hide, even though there were no major consequences on that occasion.

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