Queen’s Christmas in crisis? Armed man is arrested after breaking into Windsor Castle

The Queen had quite a fright on Christmas Day as the grounds of Windsor Castle were broken into by an armed man.

• A man has been arrested for breaking into the grounds of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day.
• The Queen was spending Christmas at Windsor Castle, after cancelling her traditional Sandringham plans due to the covid-19 pandemic.
• In other royal news, Kate Middleton steals the show with "beautiful" piano performance

Her Majesty the Queen faced a security breach at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day when an armed man broke into the grounds of the castle in Berkshire.

Officers from Thames Valley and the Metropolitan Police were called to the grounds of the castle at around 8.30am. 

According to other outlets, including Sky News and The Mail On Sunday, it is thought the weapon was not a firearm but a crossbow.

Sources also told the paper that the 19-year-old man—now in custody—was from Southampton and used a “rope ladder” to “scale a metal fence”.

Thankfully the man was detained and arrested before reaching the castle—where the Queen was spending the day with Prince Charles, The Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Edward and the Countess of Wessex.

On the incident, Superintendent Rebecca Mears said: "An investigation is ongoing following this incident and we are working with colleagues from the Metropolitan Police.

"The man has been arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in custody at this time.

"We can confirm security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and he did not enter any buildings.

"Members of the Royal Family have been informed about the incident.

"We do not believe there is a wider danger to the public."

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The Queen was joined by members of her family at Windsor Castle, where they marked their first Christmas without Prince Philip, who sadly passed away in April.

And the 95-year-old Monarch’s annual Christmas Day speech was a special tribute to her late husband. And was described as the Queen’s “most personal message ever”.

In her annual address to the nation, she said, “Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why.

“But for me, in the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work – from around the country, the Commonwealth and the world.”