London: In a case of mistaken identity, armed police challenged Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II's son, only to apologise later for the incident that occurred after royal guards stepped up security following a break-in at the monarch's official residence. Police has confirmed that two armed officers approached the Duke of York, the third child of Queen Elizabeth II, as he took an evening stroll on Wednesday and has since apologised.
"I am grateful for their apology and look forward to a safe walk in the garden in the future. The police have a difficult job to do balancing security for the royal family and deterring intruders, and sometimes they get it wrong," the Duke said in a statement. Last night an internal inquiry was being carried out into the extraordinary incident that took place less than 48 hours after a trespassing and burglary incident took place at Buckingham Palace. Royal protection officers were said be "jittery" after a genuine intruder had been found in the Palace's state rooms.
The Metropolitan Police, however, denied reports that the officers had pointed guns at the 53-year-old royal, who is fifth in line to the British throne, and shouted at him to get down on the ground. "On Wednesday, September 4 at approximately 1800 hrs, two uniformed officers approached a man in the gardens of Buckingham Palace to verify his identity. The man was satisfactorily identified. No weapons were drawn and no force was used, "a police spokesman said. Two days before this incident, police said a man was arrested inside the palace on suspicion of burglary, trespass and criminal damage. A second man was arrested outside on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary. Both were bailed.
"No members of the Royal Family were at Buckingham Palace at the time of the incident," a police spokesman said. The 87-year-old queen is currently on holiday at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Andrew had been in London to visit PopUp Piccadilly, a scheme to support new retail businesses. He had only just returned from a two-week holiday in Spain, with his former wife Sarah, the Duchess of York, and their daughters Bea and Eugenie. The break-in is one of the most serious security breaches at the palace since 1982, when 31-year-old Michael Fagan evaded guards to reach Queen's private chambers while she was still in bed.
