Man with knife outside palace charged

A MAN has been charged after being caught with a knife rushing through the front gate at Buckingham Palace.

A man has been charged after being caught with a knife rushing through a gate at Buckingham Palace.

A MAN with a knife is facing charges after he tried to dart through a gate at Buckingham Palace.

The palace said the Queen was not in residence.

Breaches of royal security are rare, but just a month ago police arrested two men over a suspected break-in at the palace.

Metropolitan Police said on Monday David Belmar, 44, was charged with trespassing on a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. He will appear in court on Tuesday.

Belmar was apprehended as he tried to run through security at a palace gate that serves both pedestrians and vehicles.

Police - who stressed in a statement that the suspect was apprehended "immediately" - searched him and found a knife.

In September, an intruder was discovered prowling around the palace after scaling a fence, and an alleged accomplice was also arrested.

That was judged to be one of the most serious incidents since a man managed to sneak into the Queen's private chambers in 1982.