Police said on Sunday a 19-year-old man with an “offensive weapon” has been arrested following a security breach at Windsor Castle, where Queen Elizabeth II is spending her Christmas.
Prince Charles and wife Camilla are spending Christmas with the 95-year-old monarch at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, southeast England, after they decided to call off their traditional Christmas at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk amid the COVID-19 surge. case
Thames Valley and Metropolitan Police officers said they responded to the breach on Saturday morning and arrested the man from Southampton.
Police said members of the royal family were informed about the incident and there was no harm to them.
Thames Valley Police 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 of a protected site or trespass and possession of an offensive weapon. He is currently in custody.
“We can confirm that the security procedures were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and he did not enter any building. We do not believe there is any major threat to the public,” she said.
The Sunday Mirror reported that the arrest came after security controllers monitoring CCTV saw a man carrying a crossbow.
Police have not confirmed what the weapon was and it is not known where exactly the man was on the field and how close he got to the palace. It was reported that he possessed an “offensive weapon”.
In her annual Christmas broadcast on Saturday, the Queen paid tribute to her “beloved” husband Prince Philip, who died in April at the age of 99.
“That mischievous, curious Twinkle in the end was as bright as when I first laid eyes on her,” said the Duchess of the late Duke of Edinburgh.
“But of course in life comes the final parting as well as the first meetings and as much as my family and I miss him, I know he wants us to enjoy Christmas. We felt his presence and we Likes how many people around the world prepare themselves for Christmas,” she said.
The message was previously recorded at Windsor Castle with a framed photo of the royal couple taken during their diamond wedding anniversary in 2007 – when the Queen wore the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch in the broadcast.
Read also: Queen Elizabeth turns down Oldie of the Year
Read also: Queen Elizabeth returns to work after husband Prince Philip’s funeral