According to an ex-royal bodyguard, the Queen’s security is “under threat” after an intruder broke into Windsor Castle on Christmas Day.
Ken Wharfe, ex-bodyguard to Princess Diana, says the security should be reviewed claiming that the Queen’s safety is “clearly under threat”.
On Christmas morning, police were scrambled at Windsor Castle around 8:30 am after the suspect, allegedly armed with a crossbow, is said to have used a rope ladder to scale a metal fence.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 19, from Southampton was detained within moments under the Mental Health Act. Chail’s dad said he feared that something had gone horribly wrong with his son, adding how his family is trying to get him the help he needs.
Officers from Thames Valley Police and the Met were alerted shortly after 8:30 am as the Queen prepares to welcome her family in Berkshire. A Palace source said: “There is a chill in the air over what could have been.”
Now Mr. Wharfe has called for a full security review saying: “It’s often been thought that Windsor is particularly at risk to intruders due to the make-up of the estate and the severity of this event should really cause alarm bells to start ringing.”
“This individual was caught in time but any system could always be beefed up as any other scenario could be tragic,” he added.
Dai Davies, the former chief superintendent and head of the royal protection unit, said: “The officers on the scene did their job and averted a disaster and that is first and foremost the most important thing. But once the threat was contained and the individual was in custody, questions will be asked immediately.”
“It does seem that Windsor is having an issue with intruders of late and those in charge need to get to the bottom of it straight away before something more sinister comes to pass,” he added.
The Mirror claims five intruders have got into the royal grounds in 2021.
The warnings come as the Metropolitan Police revealed it is investigating a video appearing to show a masked man with a crossbow allegedly telling viewers of a plan to “assassinate the Queen” in an apparent “revenge” mission.
A spokesperson said in a statement: “Following the man’s arrest, detectives are assessing the contents of a video.”
The Sunday Mirror said the arrest of the teen trespasser came after security controllers monitoring CCTV spotted a man carrying what appeared to be a crossbow.
Chail was arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon, both criminal offenses. Crossbows are referred to as “lethal but legal” because they require no license.
The Queen spent Christmas Day at Windsor Castle. It was Her Majesty’s first Christmas without a husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April this year.