Britain’s Thames Valley police arrested a 19-year-old man attempting to enter Windsor Castle with an “offensive weapon” on Christmas Day, officials said Saturday.
“An investigation is ongoing following this incident and we are working with colleagues from the Metropolitan police,” Thames Valley Police Superintendent Rebecca Mears said in a statement from the agency. “The man has been arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in custody at this time.”
Mears said that security processes were triggered within minutes of the man entering the grounds around 8:30 a.m. Christmas Day, but he did not enter any of the buildings.
“Members of the Royal Family have been informed about the incident,” she said. “We do not believe there is a wider danger to the public.”
Police said they did not plan to release any further details about the incident, and did not specify the type of weapon the man had.
Queen Elizabeth II was at the castle instead of her usual habit of spending the holiday at her Sandringham estate, the BBC reported.
The news organization reported Dec. 21 that the Queen, 95, canceled her customary holiday plan because of concerns regarding the highly contagious omicron COVID-19 variant that is rapidly spreading in the United Kingdom and elsewhere around the world.
Buckingham Palace told the BBC that her decision “reflects a precautionary approach.”
It is the second year the pandemic caused the Queen to curtail her customary holiday plans including the pre-Christmas family lunch.
According to the government’s website, Windsor Castle is the largest and oldest occupied castle in the world, sitting on 13 acres, and is where the Queen spends most of her private weekends.
The castle is open to the public for tours during the week.
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