Two masked individuals entered the grounds of Windsor Castle in the middle of the night

On November 10, the Remembrance ceremony took place, a solemn moment of respect and contemplation where the country honors its fallen heroes. This event brings the nation together around prayers, minutes of silence and military parades, and sees the participation of the highest representatives of the State and the royal family. However, this year, Camilla Parker Bowles, wife of King Charles, was unable to attend the ceremony due to health problems, recovering from a lung infection.

Recently, on the night of October 13-14, 2024, the grounds of Windsor Castle, renowned for being one of the most secure residences in the United Kingdom, was the scene of a nighttime intrusion which raised serious concerns . This incident took place while Prince William and Kate Middleton, accompanied by their three young children, were sleeping peacefully at their residence at Adelaide Cottage.

An intrusion in the middle of the night into the grounds of Adelaide Cottage

The incident took place in the middle of the night, when two masked individuals took advantage of the darkness to enter the Windsor estate. According to a source from Daily Mailthe intruders allegedly used a stolen truck to cross a security barrier and access the agricultural area of ​​the estate. Once there, they seized a black Isuzu pickup and a red quad, which they used to escape. This intrusion took place near the residence where the princely couple and their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis, were sleeping peacefully.

The security devices were triggered when they forced the barrier of Shaw Farm, one of the areas closest to the residence of the princely couple. A source cited by The Sun explained “There are alarms at Windsor Castle, but the first anyone knew there was a break-in was when they broke through the security gate at Shaw Farm Gate“Although they fled in the direction of Old Windsor/Datchet, no arrests have yet been made, a Thames Valley Police spokesperson confirmed.”At around 11:45 p.m. on Sunday, October 13, we received a report of a burglary at a property on Crown Estate, off the A308 in Windsor. (…) No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is underway.“

Growing concerns about security

Furthermore, the situation is all the more worrying as King Charles III was in Scotland at the time of the events, while Queen Consort Camilla Parker Bowles was in India. The incident has prompted security officials to reconsider the current protection strategy, particularly after armed officers were recently removed from some public entrances.

This is not the first time that Windsor Castle has been the scene of an event threatening the security of the royal family. On Christmas Day 2021, Jaswant Singh Chail, then aged 23, climbed a fence in Windsor Gardens, armed with a crossbow, and expressed the intention to kill Queen Elizabeth II. He had justified his act as revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919 and for the injustices suffered by people discriminated against on the basis of their race. Considered as a “national betrayal”, he was sentenced to nine years of detention.