It was a bit of a shock on Christmas morning when it was announced that an attack on the queen had to be foiled. A 19-year-old man made it onto the grounds of Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow, and was about half a kilometer from Queen Elizabeth II's home when he was caught.
In a video that the perpetrator had previously recorded, he threatened to kill Queen Elizabeth II. Even though no one was injured and the young man is now in custody, the royals are shocked, with Prince William and Duchess Kate said to be particularly concerned.
Royals said to be "very angry" about new security
The Daily Mail reports that Scotland Yard has changed the concept of security and that William and Kate had to part with some of their most loyal and long-time bodyguards. According to the Daily Mail, the royal couple is skeptical about the new concept, along with Duchess Camilla. Queen Elizabeth II herself is also said to have expressed her "disquiet" regarding the situation in private circles.
Helen Millichap, the person responsible for the Protection Command of the British royal family, wants to transfer long-time bodyguards to make room for new security to make things feel less "cliquey". However, not all members of the royal family are on board with this restructuring of the security concept, strongly committed to wanting to keep their favourite bodyguards.
It takes a long time to establish trust between the two parties. After all, the protection officers are at the royals' side around the clock day and night. An insider mentioned how there have "been a lot of changes in personnel, they have lost people they liked and valued," saying that several royals "have made clear that they are really quite upset about it."
Windsor Castle intruder allegedly sought revenge
On the morning of December 25, the 19-year-old climbed over the wall of the Windsor castle grounds from the west using a rope ladder. He has been under medical supervision since his arrest. Before enacting his plan, he is said to have sent a video to friends where he announced in a distorted voice that he wanted to kill the British queen.
The man's actions are thought to be an act of revenge against the monarchy. In 1919, the Amritsar massacre took place, in which British troops attacked protesters in the Indian city and hundreds were killed. At that time, India was under the colonial power of Great Britain.
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While the man in the video is masked, he is said to be the 19-year-old. "We can confirm that the security processes were triggered immediately and the man did not enter any building," Rebecca Mears, Superintendent of Thames Valley Police, said of the incident.
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