Andrew’s fury at Palace police
Armed officers forced to apologise after confrontation in garden
AN INFURIATED Prince Andrew tore a strip off gunwielding officers who mistook him for an intruder at Buckingham Palace. The Queen’s son erupted in fury when two heavily-armed policemen shouted at him to ‘verify his identity’ as he walked i n broad daylight, sources revealed last night.
The fifth-in-line to the throne stood his ground and was said to have ‘made his thoughts plain’ during the highly-charged confrontation that followed.
A royal source said: ‘ He was incredibly, incredibly angry. It was very much a case of guns being pointed at him and “halt, who goes there?”.’
Yesterday police issued a humiliating apology to the Duke of York over the extraordinary error.
It was the second police fiasco within three days at what should be one of the most secure estates in Britain. Just 48 hours earlier officers discovered a mentally ill man attempting to smash down a door with a fire extinguisher after he scaled a 12ft wall and broke in.
Yesterday Scotland Yard revealed senior officers had personally apologised to Prince Andrew in a bid to draw a line under the matter.
In an unprecedented statement, a spokesman said: ‘We are grateful to the Duke for his understanding and have apologised for any inconvenience caused.’
Scotland Yard declined to comment on reports that the officers shouted at the 53-year- old royal, telling him to ‘put your hands up’ and ‘get on the ground’.
A source said it would not be ‘uncommon’ for police to shout when challenging someone, but added that they did not know if he was ordered to lie down.
In return, Prince Andrew issued a conciliatory statement, saying: ‘The police have a difficult job to do balancing security for the royal family and deterring intruders, and sometimes they get it wrong.’
But hinting at his anger over the confrontation, he added: ‘I am grateful for their apology and look
‘He was furious at the time’
forward to a safe walk in the garden in the future.’
Royal sources said Andrew had been ‘infuriated’ by the fiasco. They continued to insist that weapons had been drawn by police, who were in a state of high tension following the previous breach.
One source said: ‘[Andrew] has calmed down now but it wasn’t a pleasant experience at all, and he was furious at the time.’
Another palace aide told the Mail: ‘The police have acknowledged the incident and apologised and he is happy to move on.
‘He knows they have a difficult job to do and is supportive of them.’
However, senior palace sources also made clear that the prince had not been willing to make a public statement until he had received a full apology from the Met.
Prince Andrew, wearing a suit and tie, was stopped as he walked in the palace grounds at around 6pm on Wednesday after attending an official function in Piccadilly.
He had just returned from a twoweek holiday in Spain with his former wife Sarah, the Duchess of York, and their daughters Beatrice, 25, and Eugenie, 23. The pair of uniformed marksmen challenged him after discovering him near a perimeter wall in a relatively isolated area of the palace garden.
Royal staff are said to be incredulous that those involved failed to recognise the prince, although officially police chiefs are saying they did nothing wrong.
One source said: ‘ Once it was clear who Andrew was, he certainly made his thoughts plain about what had happened. It has been the subject of a lot of conversation, especially as Andrew is not exactly known for suffering fools gladly.’
At the time of the incident, the Met’s Royal protection unit was on high alert after Victor Miller, 37, was caught inside the ornate State Rooms on Monday night. The complex can be accessed only through an inner courtyard at the heart of the palace.
The DJ and sound engineer is being held in a secure mental health unit after being arrested and questioned on suspicion of burglary, trespass and criminal damage. A suspected accomplice, a man aged 38, was found outside the palace and arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.
No royals were present when the break-in took place but experts are incredulous that Miller got so far before being stopped.
The two incidents highlight the tension between police and the royal family over security. The Queen – who is currently staying at Balmoral Castle with Prince Philip – has made it clear she wants the palace to be as accessible to the public as possible. A Metropolitan Police spokesman declined to comment on whether the officers would face any disciplinary action or ‘words of advice’.
He said: ‘ Uniformed officers approached a man in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to verify his identity. The man was satisfactorily identified.
‘No weapons were drawn and no force was used. We can confirm that the man spoken to by officers was the Duke of York. We are making this public with His Royal Highness’s permission.’