Man Arrested After Trying to Enter Windsor Castle Where Queen Elizabeth Was Celebrating Christmas

A man has been arrested after trying to enter Windsor Castle on Christmas. According to a statement from the Thames Valley Police, a man was arrested Saturday "on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon," shortly after he was seen entering the castle grounds.

"A 19-year-old man from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon," the police said. "Security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and he did not enter any buildings."

Following a search, the man was found to be carrying a crossbow, which was recovered by the police at the time of arrest.

"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's statement went on to share.

The incident is still under investigation by Metropolitan Police Specialist Operations, who said on Saturday that they did not believe there was a wider danger to the public.

Members of the Royal Family were informed about the incident at Windsor Castle, where they were celebrating the Christmas holiday, Queen Elizabeth II's first without her husband, Prince Philip, who died at the age of 99 in April.

The queen made her annual Christmas Day address from the castle Saturday, where the 95-year-old monarch paid tribute to her late husband, wearing the sapphire chrysanthemum brooch that she wore for a photocall on her honeymoon in 1947. Pinning the piercing blue broach to a bright red dress, the queen paired the festive look with red lipstick and a pearl necklace.

The queen has worn the brooch to mark other special occasions in their marriage, including the couple's diamond wedding anniversary in 2007, where she wore it pinned to a pale blue dress during their visit to the Broadlands, and again for their 70th wedding anniversary in 2017.

In addition to honoring Philip with the brooch, the queen also displayed a photo of her and the late prince on her desk in the castle's White Drawing Room. Though she has traditionally included several family photos on her desk during her annual speech, this year, the photo of the couple stood alone.

The speech marked Her Majesty's 69th Christmas Day broadcast, and the first holiday season she's spent without her husband of 73 years.

And while it appeared that the queen would remain in isolation after canceling her family's pre-Christmas lunch as a "precautionary" decision in light of the rising highly transmissible COVID-19 omicron variant, a palace source told ET that queen did in fact enjoy the holiday with her family. Prince Charles and Camilla, as well as her son Prince Edward and his family, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and their families were all in attendance for the festivities at Windsor Castle, which included a trip to St. Georges Chapel.

Though the queen did not join Charles and Camilla for Saturday's services at the chapel, the source shared that she did worship privately on another occasion.

This is the second year in a row that the queen has decided to celebrate the holidays at home in Windsor.

RELATED CONTENT

Queen Elizabeth Pays Tribute to Prince Philip With Christmas Brooch

Inside the Royals' Scaled Back Holiday Plans Amid Omicron Threats

Queen Elizabeth to Honor Prince Philip in Service of Thanksgiving

Prince William Joins Queen Elizabeth for Her First Solo Trip to Scotland Following Prince Philip’s Death

This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

Up Next

Related Gallery

How Celebrities are Celebrating the Holidays in 2021