The incident happened around 8:30 am this morning local time. Immediately after the man broke into the domain, the security procedure was started. The suspected man was quickly arrested and had not entered the castle itself.
It concerns a 19-year-old man from Southampton. He was arrested on suspicion of violating or entering a protected area and of being in possession of an assault weapon, police said. The suspect will remain in jail for the time being while the investigation continues. It is not clear at this time what weapon the man was carrying and what motives he had.
The royal family was informed of the incident. The Queen normally spends Christmas in Sandringham, but this year she chose to spend Christmas with her closest family at Windsor Castle, west of London.
Security incidents on royal domains are rare. The most serious incident involving the Queen happened in 1982 when a man was able to break into Buckingham Palace and into the Queen’s bedroom, where the Queen was still sleeping.
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