A man disguised as a priest broke into Windsor Castle, the favorite residence of Queen Elizabeth II, and spent the night there.
On April 26, a disguised intruder managed to outwit royal security for many hours. He finally left the premises only a few hours before Queen Elizabeth II returned home.
According to British TV channelTalkTV, the fake priestwent tothe castle’s officers’ mess where he took the opportunity to have a drink.
“He said his name was Father Cruise and pretended to be a friend of the battalion chaplain, Reverend Matt Coles. He was invited in and offered something to eat in the officers’ mess,” a source told Britain’s TalkTV.
After a few hours of the unscheduled visit, the man was “drinking with officers at the bar” and began telling stories about his life, including that he had served in Iraq.
“He told a lot of tall tales, and the guys enjoyed his jokes and had a few drinks,” the source said. “It wasn’t until later, when he started telling stories about working as an ejection seat test pilot and having certain organs replaced, that the guys started to get suspicious.”
Authorities were not alerted until the next morning. Just three hours before Queen Elizabeth returned to Windsor Castle after celebrating her 96th birthday at her Sandringham estate.
“We received a report of a break-in at Victoria Barracks in Sheet Street, Windsor, at 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday, April 27,” confirmed a Thames Valley Police spokesperson. “Officers responded to the scene and removed the intruder from the barracks. No further action was necessary.”
Unsurprisingly, Buckingham Palace is currently investigating the incident, with guards being interviewed and surveillance footage being analyzed.
This is not the first time an intruder has broken into the Queen’s home. On Christmas morning 2021, a man carrying a crossbow entered Windsor Castle, but was quickly arrested. He allegedly used a rope ladder to climb a metal fence and enter the gardens where the queen was staying with her family at the time.
