Castle intruder in scare for Queen
AN intruder reportedly armed with a crossbow allegedly entered the grounds of Windsor Castle by rope ladder as the Queen celebrated Christmas with her family on Saturday (UK time).
The 19-year-old from Southampton, in southern England, did not enter any buildings and security processes were triggered within moments, police said in a statement.
Police did not reveal what type of weapon the man had but a security source told The Sun: “I’m told the man had a crossbow.”
It was alleged the intruder may have used a rope ladder to climb over a spiked fence off the Long Walk, in a publicly accessible area close to apartments used by Her Majesty, around 8.30am on Christmas Day (local time).
The 95-year-old monarch, who has spent much of the pandemic at Windsor Castle, was celebrating Christmas with her son Prince Charles, his wife Camilla and other close family members.
“The man has been arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon,” Thames Valley Police Superintendent Rebecca Mears said.
“Members of the royal family have been informed about the incident. We do not believe there is a wider danger to the public.”
Shortly after the incident, senior members of the royal family, including Prince Charles and Prince Edward, arrived at St George’s Chapel to attend the Christmas Day service.
The Queen did not attend and stayed at Windsor Castle.
The break-in came as the Queen marked her first Christmas since her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, died aged 99 in April.
The armed intruder threatened to overshadow the Queen’s tribute to her husband of 73 years in her annual Christmas message. She described her grief since their “final parting” and the joy of his “mischievous twinkle” at their first meeting.
In the most personal Christmas message of her 69year reign, the Queen said the months since Philip’s death had been hard but that she had found comfort in the many tributes to his life she had received since his death.
“Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones,” she said.
“This year, especially, I understand why. In the months since the death of my beloved Philip I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work. His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible. That mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him.’’
The Queen added: “But life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings and, as much as I and my family miss him, I know he would want us to enjoy Christmas. We felt his presence as we, like millions around the world, readied ourselves for Christmas.”
The broadcast opened with an excerpt of the Queen’s speech in 1997, marking her golden wedding anniversary, where she described Philip as “my strength and stay all these years”.