A Lunatic in a Queen’s Bedroom
The security at Buckingham Palace has often been lax. A laxity that dates as far back to the reign of Queen Victoria, whom many a stalker got dangerously close to. The fact that they had done so, without hindrance, was a black eye for the palace’s security. A century and a half later, palace security got a worse black eye when yet another stalker got close to another queen. Early on July 9th, 1982, Queen Elizabeth II was awoken by unusual noises in her bedroom. When she opened her eyes, there was a strange man seated at the edge of her bed. Blood seeped out of a cut in one of his hands, and he held a shard of broken glass in another.
The queen talked to him, and realized that he was a disturbed individual. So she phoned the palace switchboard and asked that police be sent over. None arrived. She phoned again, but again, no help was sent. So Her Majesty left the bedroom, and personally summoned the police, who eventually came in and arrested the intruder. The man, Michael Fagan, had simply walked into the queen’s bedroom. Apparently, the armed police officer appointed to guard her door had left his post before his replacement had arrived.
