Queen suffers security breach after fake priest gains entry to Windsor Castle barracks

An investigation is underway after a priest imposter gained access to Windsor Castle barracks, the base of the Queen's security officers, last week. 

• The Queen has suffered a security breach after a man claiming to be a priest gained access to her officers' base at Windsor Castle last week. 
• Guards outside the Victoria Barracks invited the imposter into their lodgings for drinks on Tuesday evening, before offering him a bed to stay the night. 
• In other royal news, Kate Middleton and Prince William eye up new cottage in bid to be closer to the Queen.
  

An investigation has been launched by the British Army in response to an 'extraordinary security breach' that took place at the barracks of Windsor Castle, the Queen's permanent residence, last week. 

Soldiers on duty invited a man claiming to be a priest into the Victoria Barracks after he introduced himself as a friend of a Coldstream Guards’ padre. It's understood that the intruder approached the gates in the evening and was admitted inside the Officer's Mess, where he was treated to drinks as he told “tall stories” about his military service in Iraq.

The Queen was at Sandringham House in Norfolk at the time of the incident, in celebration of her 96th birthday and the Easter holiday. 

Concerns over the man's identity were raised the following morning after he had already been given a bed for the night and a complimentary breakfast. Police were then called to the grounds and he was escorted off the property without arrest. 

A source told the Sun that the officers "started to get suspicious" when the 'priest' began "talking about how he had worked as an ejector-seat test pilot and had donated some of his organs." 

It's understood that the man, who was called a 'fantasist', was known locally to the police and suffered from mental health problems. 

"The Army takes this breach of security extremely seriously and it will be thoroughly investigated as a matter of priority," a spokesperson told the Telegraph. 

“This incident is now part of an ongoing investigation and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this time.”

A source for Talk TV’s The News Desk has since called the intrusion, "an extraordinary breach of security." 

This isn't the first time this year that the Royal Family has faced security issues. It was revealed in early April that a leak of the Queen's death plans has prompted an urgent investigation, less than a year after Buckingham Palace intruder Michael Fagan recalled his experience of breaking into Her Majesty's bedroom in 1982.