No further action over Windsor barracks intruder, police say

The Coldstream Guards have a ceremonial role as the protectors of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace

An intruder who pretended to be a priest and spent a night in an Army barracks near Windsor Castle will face no further action.

The man gained entry into Victoria Barracks, home to the Coldstream Guards, in Windsor on 27 April.

He ate with officers and was also given breakfast the following morning before the alarm was raised.

Thames Valley Police officers were called at 09:20 BST and removed a man from the barracks.

The Army is still investigating how he got past security.

The Ministry of Defence said the man, who has not been named, called himself Father Cruz and claimed to know the battalion's padre.

'Breach of security'

A police spokesperson said no further action was taken against the man and that he was not detained under the Mental Health Act.

The barracks is close to Windsor Castle, where the Queen has been living, but at the time of the incident the monarch was in Sandringham, in Norfolk, for Easter.

An Army spokesman said: "The Army takes this breach of security extremely seriously and it will be thoroughly investigated as a matter of priority.

"This incident is now part of an ongoing investigation and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

The Coldstream Guards, who wear red jackets and bearskin hats, have a ceremonial role as the protectors of Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace.