Celebrity
Windsor Castle break in, intruder arrested after climbing over a wall
A man has been arrested after scaling the walls of Windsor Castle and entering a restricted part of the grounds.
The intruder, who is in his 30s, was spotted by Metropolitan Police officers just after 1pm on Sunday and was “quickly challenged”.
He was seen in a restricted area of the castle complex but had not yet entered the inner grounds, police said.
READ MORE: ‘Unwavering support for their wives’ unites Harry, Brooklyn amid feud
It is not clear of any members of the royal family were there at the time. Windsor Castle is the official home of the monarch and the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children live in Adelaide Cottage, on its grounds.
Royal protection officers were reportedly informed of the breach as a matter of routine.
The man was quickly arrested on suspicion of trespass on a protected site and possession of Class A drugs, police said.
He was then passed to Thames Valley police, who said he had been bailed.
A source told The Sun: “The intruder is believed to have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the break-in”.
He is believed to have “clambered over a wall” to get into the grounds.
“He broke into the castle near Town Gate and was quickly detained by police. It was a crazy thing to do and caused quite a stir but at this stage it appears there was no intent to cause any serious harm.”
READ MORE: As Harry asks about changing his name, which royals have a surname?
The Metropolitan Police said: “A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of trespass on a protected site and possession of Class A drugs after entering restricted grounds at Windsor Castle.
“Officers in the grounds spotted the man just after 13.00hrs on Sunday, 1 June and quickly arrested him. He was then passed into the custody of Thames Valley police.”
Thames Valley police said: “At just after 1pm on Sunday 1 June a man entered restricted grounds at Windsor castle.
READ MORE: Meet the Norwegian princess moving to Australia later this year
“He was quickly challenged by Met police officers and arrested. He did not enter the inner grounds of Windsor Castle.
“He was arrested on suspicion of trespass on a secure site and possession of class A drugs. He has been bailed and an investigation is ongoing by Thames Valley police.”
Under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 it is a criminal offence to trespass on a protected site, which includes crown land and land belonging to the King or his heir in their private capacity.
All the defining photos of the British royal family in 2025
The security scare comes after burglars broke into the castle grounds and stole two vehicles from a farm, in October.
Prince William and Kate, and their three children, were reportedly sleeping nearby when the night-time break in happened.
And on Christmas Day in 2021 an intruder was arrested in the grounds of Windsor Castle intending to kill Queen Elizabeth II.
Jaswant Singh Chail, who had been armed with a crossbow, was later jailed for nine years, after he was arrested near the Queen’s private apartments.
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.