A suspect has been arrested after breaking into the grounds of Windsor Castle, the British royal family’s ancestral home.
On June 3, a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police confirmed the news to PEOPLE and said the incident occurred during the afternoon of Sunday, June 1.
“At just after 1 p.m. on Sunday (1/6) a man has entered restricted grounds at Windsor Castle,” a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police said.
“He was quickly challenged by Met police officers and arrested. He did not enter the inner grounds of Windsor Castle,” they continued. “He was arrested on suspicion of trespass on a secure site and possession of class A drugs. He has been bailed and an investigation is ongoing by Thames Valley Police.”
The Metropolitan Police shared more details in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
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Windsor Castle on April 25, 2024.
“A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of trespass on a protected site and possession of Class A drugs after entering private grounds at Windsor Castle,” the statement said. “Officers in the grounds spotted the man just after 13:00hrs on Sunday, 1 June and quickly arrested him. He was then passed into the custody of Thames Valley Police.”
The Metropolitan Police run the security teams responsible for the royal family. It is a criminal offense to trespass on protected spaces designated under the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005, including the royal family’s main bases of Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace.
It remains unclear if any members of the royal family were at the royal residence at the time of the incident on June 1. Prince William and Kate Middleton notably live on the grounds of Windsor Castle at Adelaide Cottage within Windsor Great Park with their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
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Prince William, Prince George, Prince Louis, Kate Middleton and Princess Charlotte on May 5, 2025.
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In November 2024, police announced the news of a similar intrusion at Windsor Castle. Authorities said that two masked raiders broke into farm buildings on the Windsor estate on Sunday, Oct. 13 when the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their children, were believed to be at home nearby.
It is thought that the burglars were targeting farm machinery and used a stolen vehicle to crash through a security gate on the way out.
Windsor Castle is the world’s oldest and largest occupied castle, and was founded by William the Conquerer around 1070.
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