The British military said on Tuesday it had launched an investigation after reports that a man disguised as a priest spent a night in a barracks with soldiers assigned to protect Queen Elizabeth near her home at Windsor Castle.
The Sun newspaper reported that the fraudster was allowed to enter Cold Stream Guards Barracks without showing any identifiable credentials or documents, then eat, drink and share stories with soldiers.
The newspaper reported that the Queen was not in Windsor during the incident, which occurred last Wednesday.
“The military takes this security breach seriously and will be subject to a thorough investigation as a matter of priority,” a Defense Ministry spokesperson said. “This incident is part of an ongoing investigation, and therefore it would not be appropriate to provide further comment at this time.”
The Coldstream Guard is an infantry regiment of the British Army whose responsibilities include the ceremonial role of protecting the royal palaces.
The Queen returned from a short break at her home in Sandringham, eastern England, on Wednesday, but Buckingham Palace said the monarch was not in Windsor at 0820 GMT, the time the man was reported to have been escorted from the barracks.
A palace spokesman said the incident was the responsibility of the Defense Ministry.
Sun noted that the man claimed to be a chaplain and assured officers that he was a friend of a member of the battalion chaplain.
Then he was invited and had a drink, and proceeded to tell a bunch of “stories,” according to the newspaper, citing a source.
Doubts about his identity began to appear when “He started talking about how he worked as a pilot to test the ejection seat and replace some organs.”The source told the Sun.
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