Burglars broke into Windsor Castle estate, home of Prince William, Kate and family

London: Intruders broke into the grounds of Windsor Castle last month and stole two vehicles, police confirmed, a significant security breach at the sprawling royal estate west of London that is the primary residence of Prince William, his wife Catherine, and their three children.

William, the heir to the throne, and his family are believed to have been at home at the time of the burglary, according to Britain’s The Sun, which first reported the incident on Sunday. King Charles III and Queen Camilla also often stay at Windsor Castle, but were not there at the time.

Windsor Castle, the primary residence of Prince William, his wife Catherine, and their three children.Credit: Getty Images

A spokesperson for the Thames Valley Police said they had received a report of a burglary on Crown Estate land shortly before midnight on October 13. The intruders scaled a fence at Shaw Farm, an active farm on the estate, according to The Sun.

“Offenders entered a farm building and made off with a black Isuzu pick-up and a red quad bike,” the police spokesperson said. “No arrests have been made at this stage and an investigation is ongoing.”

The Sun reported that after climbing the 1.8-metre fence to enter the grounds, the intruders used the truck, which had been stored in the barn, along with the bike, to crash through a farm gate on their way out. The gate is a five-minutes drive from Adelaide Cottage, where William and Catherine live with their children, Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.

Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace, where William and Catherine have their offices, declined to comment on the incident, in keeping with their policy of not commenting on security issues.

There is no suggestion that the prince or his family were in direct danger. They have their own security at Adelaide Cottage, one of several residences on the 6500-hectare Windsor estate that are used by members of the royal family.

It was the second major security breach at Windsor Castle in recent years, though not as serious as one on Christmas Day in 2021, when the police confronted a man clad in black, wearing a metal face mask and wielding a crossbow. “I am here to kill the queen,” he told the officers.

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, attending the Easter Mattins Service at Windsor Castle last year.Credit: AP

The man, Jaswant Singh Chail, was sentenced to nine years in prison, after having been convicted of treason in February 2023. It was the first treason conviction in Britain in more than four decades.

Windsor Castle has been a refuge for William and especially Catherine, since she announced in March she had been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer. While she has returned to occasional public duties, she has mostly convalesced at Adelaide Cottage, where the couple moved in 2022 from Kensington Palace because they felt it was a more private place to raise their family.

Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, also lived on the Windsor estate, in Frogmore Cottage, until the king asked them to vacate the house in 2023 after their bitter public rift with the royal family.

Prince William, his wife Catherine, and their three children, in a video released by Kensington Palace. Credit: Kensington Palace

Harry has been engaged in a prolonged legal battle with the British government over security for himself and his family since he moved to Southern California. He has said the loss of police protection during his visits to Britain has made it impossible for him to bring his two children to visit the royal family.

There has also been tension between the King and his younger brother, Prince Andrew, over another residence near Windsor Castle, Royal Lodge. Andrew has lived in the house for decades, but he has struggled to afford the upkeep since he was sent into internal exile after a scandal over his links to convicted financier and sex predator Jeffrey Epstein.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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