Christmas Day intruder at Queen Elizabeth’s residence was armed with crossbow
- The 19-year-old man was arrested on Windsor Castle grounds and is being held under the Mental Health Act, London police say
- He had scaled the fence with a rope ladder, in a rare security breach at the site where the queen was spending Christmas with Prince Charles and other family
A man armed with a crossbow who was arrested after attempting to break into Windsor Castle where Queen Elizabeth was celebrating Christmas is being held under the Mental Health Act, London’s police said on Sunday.
The police said the 19-year-old from Southampton in southern England was stopped within moments of him entering the grounds of the castle on Christmas morning and did not break into any buildings.
“The man was taken into custody and has undergone a mental health assessment – he has since been sectioned under the Mental Health Act and remains in the care of medical professionals,” the police said.
“Following a search of the man, a crossbow was recovered.”
Queen Elizabeth, who has spent much of the Covid-19 pandemic at Windsor Castle, is spending Christmas there with her son, Prince Charles, his wife, Camilla, and other close family.