Prince Andrew had quite a scare in Buckingham Palace recently. The Queen's second eldest son, 53, was held at gunpoint by two officers when he was mistaken for an intruder last Wednesday in the gardens of Buckingham Palace, the UK Sunday Express reports.
The bizarre incident coincidentally occurred just two days after a real intruder was found in the Palace's state rooms and a suspected accomplice was arrested outside the Palace.
"Everyone is talking about these two incidents and can’t quite believe what has happened," a royal insider told the Sunday Express. "There is a high turnover of the police on duty at the Palace, but you’d think anyone would know what Prince Andrew looks like."
The unfortunate stand-off lasted less than a minute, after he insisted he was Prince Andrew, Duke of York. "It's fair to say that to describe the Duke as unhappy and the two officers as highly embarrassed is the biggest understatement of the century," the source added of Andrew, father to Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. It is still unclear whether or not the officers will be disciplined for their actions, but it seems all is forgiven on Prince Andrew's end.
"The police have a difficult job to do balancing security for the Royal Family and deterring intruders, and sometimes they get it wrong," he said in a statement. "I am grateful for their apology and look forward to a safe walk in the garden in the future."
