'Devastating Blow' To Buckingham Palace Security, Intruder Enters While Queen Elizabeth Sleeps

In the early hours of Wednesday, an intruder jumped the front gates at Buckingham Palace in London and was able to make his way to the doors of the residence. According to Express, it took approximately four minutes for the man to be apprehended and assessed if he was armed. All of this happened as Queen Elizabeth II was asleep nearby.

“He was determined to get inside the palace and was banging down the doors but, thank goodness, everything was locked up," an insider told The Sun.

It is thought that the uninvited guest may have been trying to copy Michael Fagan's similar entrance in 1982, which happened almost 37 years ago to the day. During Fagan's attempt, he entered the Queen's bedroom as she slept.

"Officers have arrested a man on suspicion of trespass, contrary to section 128 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005," a Metropolitan Police spokesman stated.

Continuing, they said, "The 22-year-old man was arrested at approximately 02:00hrs on Wednesday, 10 July by officers from the Met's Royalty and Specialist Protection Command after he climbed over the front gates at Buckingham Palace."

As noted by The Sun, this latest invasion comes as a "devastating blow" to current security at the palace as they have had to deal with similar issues over the years.

It is thought that the intruder knew the Queen was at the Palace because the royal standard flag was flying. Additionally, it was noted that the man did not have any weapons on him, nor was the incident thought to be terrorist-related. Currently, he is in custody at a central London police station.