Investigation Underway After Man Posing as Priest Breaks Into Victoria Barracks Near Windsor Castle

Victoria Barracks is where the Queen’s Guards are housed. The Queen’s Guard, or British Guards, or Queen’s Life Guard are known for their red jackets, wool trousers, and tall bear skin hats. But on Wednesday, an intruder apparently had the night of his life bantering “with the lads” after he broke in.

An investigation is underway after an intruder posing as a priest spent the night at Victoria Barracks near Windsor Castle.

The man went by the name of “Father Cruise” and though he didn’t show any proof of identification, he was allegedly able to spend the night with the Queen’s Guard, enjoying the company of senior officers by eating and dining with the Guards.

“Father Cruise” was also offered a bed at the Barracks.

Police were made aware of the intruder at 9:20 a.m. on Wednesday while Queen Elizabeth II was safely tucked away at Sandringham for Easter, which is about 124 miles away from Windsor Castle.

“This is just an extraordinary breach of security. The guy turned up at the gate in the evening and said his name was Father Cruise and claimed to be a friend of the battalion’s Padre Rev Matt Coles,” a source told the Sun.

A Thames Valley Police spokesperson told the newspaper that they arrived at the Barracks Wednesday morning and “attended and removed” the intruder.

“He was invited in and offered something to eat in the Officer’s Mess. Within a couple of hours, he was drinking with the officers in the bar and telling them stories of how he had served in Iraq,” the source added. “He was telling lots of tall stories and the lads were enjoying his banter and having a few drinks.”

Despite what appeared to be a fun-filled and rowdy night with the “lads,” a spokesperson for the army commented on the incident with the utmost concern.

“The Army takes this breach of security extremely seriously and it will be thoroughly investigated as a matter of priority. This incident is now part of an ongoing investigation and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this time,” said the Army spokesperson.

This isn’t the first time the queen has had to deal with a break-in. In December, when the Queen was celebrating Christmas, an armed 19 year-old from Southampton was arrested after he broke into the grounds of Windsor Castle.

And in the summer of 1982, a man named Michael Fagan successfully broke into Buckingham Palace, prompting one of the queen’s greatest security scandals in history. Fagan, a London native, managed to climb over the fence of the palace, scaled a drainpipe and entered an unlocked window via the roof.

Fagan then wandered about the palace, perusing royal whatnots like King George V’s stamp collection, until he actually made his way to the bedroom of the queen, who he found lying in her bed. The queen bolted from the room in her nightie, according to Fagan, and swept past him in her “little bare feet.” Fagan was arrested shortly after his second and final successful break-in at the palace.