Buckingham Palace officials are reviewing security at the grounds after an intruder was caught breaking in recently.
The late Princess Diana’s former protection officer Ken Wharfe believes better measures need to be put in place to protect the estate and the royal family after a 41-year-old man was able to roam around without being caught for seven minutes on Wednesday evening (18.05.16).
Speaking to the Daily Express newspaper, he said: "It is a hell of a long time. Ten seconds is a long time, a minute is a long time. In 10 seconds you could run 50 yards… into the front door of where the queen lives."
The mystery man scaled the perimeter wall in the mid-evening, setting off alarm bells, but he wasn’t found for almost 10 minutes as police searched the premises.
He explained: "Once somebody is over that wall, unless you catch them immediately, there’s no telling where they might go. This is a massive area and the whole grounds are covered with plants and herbaceous borders."
The gentleman – who wasn’t armed when he was caught – was arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site.
The 90-year-old monarch and her husband Prince Philip were in the grounds when the man broke in but they weren’t told of the incident until the following morning.
Buckingham Palace gets review after security scare
