A man faces charges for allegedly breaking into the Kensington Palace grounds—Prince William and Kate Middleton’s home—twice shortly before Christmas.
Videos by Suggest
According to the Mirror, 39-year-old Derek Egan was spotted carrying a rucksack as he climbed a fence into Kensington Palace just two days before Christmas. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that Egan has been charged following the incidents. A police spokesperson stated that while Egan managed to enter the palace gardens on two separate occasions, he was quickly apprehended both times by specialist royal protection officers.
The incidents are a “serious cause for concern” because the intruder entered twice, even after police initially released him on bail.
The Met Police charged the intruder with two counts of trespassing following incidents on December 21 and 23. “On Tuesday, 23 December, Derek Egan, 39, of Clayfield Way, Hillingdon, was charged with trespassing on a protected site and breaching bail conditions. He was remanded in custody and appeared at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 24 December,” a spokesperson explained.
“The charges relate to incidents on Sunday, 21 December and Tuesday, 23 December when Egan was arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site in Palace Green, Kensington,” they added.
Prince William and Kate Middleton, who live permanently in Windsor, were not thought to be residing in Kensington Palace at the time.
They were reportedly in London in the days leading up to the alleged incidents, preparing for the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas at Sandringham. The intruder is the latest in a series of individuals who have breached royal properties before being apprehended.
Another Man was Caught Trespassing at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s Home Back in 2021
According to the Mirror, Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, was sentenced to nine years in jail for treason in 2023. He was arrested at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 with a crossbow while Queen Elizabeth II was in residence.
The Old Bailey heard that an AI “girlfriend” named Sarai and Star Wars storylines motivated Chail. He was detained under the Mental Health Act, treated in a psychiatric hospital, and later moved to custody.
During a live television broadcast, Mr Justice Hilliard said that Chail had acted on homicidal thoughts before he became psychotic.
The judge said Chail’s offense was “as serious as it could be” because “his intention was not just to harm or alarm the sovereign, but to kill her.” The judge also noted that Chail, a former supermarket worker, was “culpable to a significant degree” when he applied to join the Ministry of Defence Police and Grenadier Guards because he “wanted to get close to the royal family”.