Police arrested an intruder after he broke into Windsor Castle grounds

Police arrested an intruder after he broke into Windsor Castle grounds. 

LONDON – Police say a man entered Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth is spending Christmas. He was arrested on Saturday.

According to Thames Valley Police, the teenager from Southampton in south England didn’t enter any buildings. However, security processes were activated within minutes.

The monarch of 95 years, who spent most of the COVID-19 pandemic in Windsor Castle, celebrated Christmas there with Prince Charles, Camilla, and other family members.

“The man was arrested on suspicion that he breached or trespassed at a protected location and has an offensive weapon,” stated Rebecca Mears, Thames Valley Police Superintendent.

She said that the royal family was informed of the incident. However, the police didn’t believe that there was any more significant danger to the public.

The incident occurred at around 0830 GMT.

Charles, Camilla, and other royal family members were photographed later in the morning, arriving at St George’s Chapel inside the Windsor Castle complex for a Christmas service.

It was not clear that the incident had affected any royal family plans.

It is rare for security breaches to occur at royal residences. 

However, in 1982, the queen suffered the most severe security breach during her reign. An intruder scaled a wall to gain access to Buckingham Palace in London and then walked into a bedroom where she was sleeping.

In the past, a man convicted of murder pleaded guilty to trespassing after climbing Buckingham Palace’s perimeter wall and asking the monarch if he was home.

The Christmas tradition of the royal family is to spend Christmas at Sandringham, eastern England. However, this tradition was disrupted by COVID-19. As a result, she also spent Christmas 2020 at Windsor.

On Saturday, the queen did not make a public appearance. Instead, she spoke out about the death of Prince Philip, her husband, in a prerecorded Christmas message to the nation. They were married for 73 years.