Another concerning incident has happened at Windsor Castle, where a man breached security for an extended period.
An intruder disguised as a priest gained access to the castle, which is the primary home of Queen Elizabeth at this time. It occurred on April 26, 2022, just hours before the Queen returned home from her Sandringham estate.
This incident is the latest of several, the last of which occurred on Christmas Day 2021, when an intruder breached the castle while the Queen was home. It's raised questions publicly about the safety of the place, while this and other situations have also caught the attention of Prince Harry.
A source explained how the intruder disguised as a priest was able to get inside.
"[He] said his name was Father Cruise and claimed to be a friend of the battalion’s padre, the Rev. Matt Coles. He was invited in and offered something to eat in the Officers’ Mess," a source revealed to Britain's Talk TV, per Page Six.
In a matter of hours, the man was "drinking with officers in the bar." He started sharing increasingly bizarre stories about his life that raised eyebrows among the men he was with.
"He was telling lots of tall stories, and the lads were enjoying his banter and having a few drinks," the source said.
"It was only later when he started talking about how he had worked as an ejector-seat test pilot and had some organs replaced that the chaps started to get suspicious."
No moves were made that night to remove the man from Windsor Castle. The next morning, authorities were alerted just three hours before the Queen returned home from her 96th birthday celebration.
"We received a report of an intruder at Victoria Barracks in Sheet Street, Windsor, at 9:20 am on Wednesday [April 27]," a spokesperson for Thames Valley Police confirmed to Harper's Bazaar.
"Officers attended and removed the intruder from the barracks. No further action was required."
The palace has opted to further investigate the incident. "The Army takes this breach of security extremely seriously, and it will be thoroughly investigated as a matter of priority," a Ministry of Defence spokesperson shared.
"This incident is now part of an ongoing investigation, and it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."
This comes just months after an intruder with a crossbow made it over the castle walls on Christmas Day 2021. The Queen and other members of the royal family were in the residence celebrating the holidays.
Some criticized Prince Harry for recent comments about his visit with his grandmother in April. In his remarks, Harry mentioned wanting to make sure the Queen was surrounded by the right people. Many thought it was a slick comment about his father and brother, but it seems now it may have been geared more toward the Queen's official team.
"Being with her, it was great. It was just so nice to see her," Harry told Today's Hoda Kotb.
"She's on great form. It was really nice to catch up to her."
"I'm just making sure that she's, you know, protected and got the right people around her," Harry remarked.
"You know, home — home for me, now, is you know, for the time being, is in the States."
Harry may have also been referencing the Queen's health. It's no secret she has struggled since the passing of Prince Philip. There have been more questions for official channels than answers from them, and with Harry on the outside, he may not be privy to everything and sees the problem with that. At the end, he and his family may not be able to agree on much, but they all love the Queen and want her to have the best quality of life she can.
