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Privacy NoticeThe late Queen had a reign filled with unforgettable moments over seven decades, from rubbing shoulders with world leaders to globe-trotting adventures. But one notorious incident that occurred 42 years ago today was never repeated – and for good reason. On July 9, 1982, Queen Elizabeth woke up to find intruder Michael Fagan in her Buckingham Palace bedroom. Incredibly, this was the second time Fagan had slipped past security and roamed freely around the palace. The tale of the audacious break-in at Buckingham Palace and his startling wake-up call to the Queen is well-known and even got the Netflix’s The Crown treatment.
Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace in July 1982
(Image: Getty)
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Fagan first managed to dodge detection and gain entry to the building in early June 1982. He later shared that he scaled a drainpipe and surprised a housemaid, who promptly alerted the guards. However, when security arrived, they dismissed the housemaid’s account. Fagan then claimed that he accessed the palace through an unlocked window on the roof and spent the next half an hour eating cheddar cheese and crackers while wandering the corridors. He admired the royal portraits in the gallery and even took a seat on a throne. He confessed to downing half a bottle of white wine before growing tired and slipping back out. Perhaps most astonishingly, Fagan managed to trigger two security alarms, but the on-duty policemen dismissed them as malfunctioning.
An imagined sketch of Michael Fagan sitting with the late Queen in 1982
(Image: Mirrorpix)
The thrill of freely wandering the palace undetected wasn’t enough for Fagan as he decided to return and try his luck again on July 9. This time he arrived at approximately 7am and scaled the 14ft perimeter wall which was topped with barbed wire and climbed the drainpipe, just as he had done a few weeks before. Fagan wandered the corridors and again managed to trip security wires which were silenced by the policemen on duty. After walking for a few minutes, he reached the Royal apartments. Before entering the Queen’s bedroom, he had broken a glass ashtray and cut his hand. Fagan was still bleeding and carrying a fragment of the glass when he entered Her Majesty’s room.
Michael Fagan pictured three years after the break-in in front of the Tower of London
(Image: Getty)
Reports vary as to exactly what happened when the intruder met The Queen as Fagan has changed details of his story over the years. It is said that he woke the monarch when he disturbed a curtain in her room and proceeded to sit on the end of her bed. In a 2012 interview, Fagan changed course and said that the Queen had immediately left the room to find security after she had called the palace switchboard twice and no-one had arrived. When help finally arrived, Fagan was tackled out of the room by Her Majesty’s duty footman, Paul Whybrew, who had been out walking the corgis. It is said that the intruder was offered a glass of whisky to calm down.
Fagan was portrayed by Tom Brooke in series four of The Crown
(Image: Youtube/Adham Nassar/Netflix)
The shocking events were remembered vividly by former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond who previously told OK!: “I remember very clearly waking up to hear that someone had broken into Buckingham Palace, which wasn’t unprecedented, but to learn that this man had actually got into the Queen’s bedroom and sat on her bed was mind-boggling!” “Where was the security? How could this happen? And, what an earth did the Queen think, and say? It was a huge story, and everyone was talking about it. The image of this man, with a bleeding hand, sitting on the Queen’s bed was just extraordinary.” “We have since learned that the Queen was extremely cool and collected. Fagan’s mother said that her son thought a great deal of the Queen and just wanted to talk and say hello, and discuss his problems.”
Queen Elizabeth pictured three days after she was woken up by Michael Fagan in 1982
(Image: Getty)
Michael Fagan escaped any severe consequences for his infamous Buckingham Palace intrusion in 1982 because it was deemed a civil wrong, not a criminal act. He dodged trespassing charges in the Queen’s bedroom but faced accusations of wine theft from his initial visit. However, those charges evaporated when he was sent for psychiatric assessment. Fagan spent the next three months in a psychiatric hospital. After the Queen died, Fagan told reporters that he had lit a candle in her memory in a local church.Story SavedYou can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnNetflixThe CrownQueen Elizabeth IIRoyal FamilyBuckingham Palace
