Fake priest who bluffed his way into Coldstream Guards barracks near Windsor Castle had earlier pretended to be a friend of Prince Harry
- Coldstream Guards launched inquiries after a man bluffed his way into barracks
- The man, who was wearing a vicar’s dog collar and had an American accent, claimed to guards on duty that he had a meeting with a military chaplain
- A pub landlord had earlier turned the intruder away when he tried to claim a free meal by saying he was a friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
A fake priest who bluffed his way into the an army barracks had earlier pretended to be a friend of Prince Harry in an attempt to get a free pub meal, it emerged last night.
The Coldstream Guards launched two inquiries after the man bluffed his way into Victoria Barracks near Windsor Castle and stayed the night, sparking security concerns just weeks before the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
The man, who was wearing a vicar’s dog collar and had an American accent, claimed to guards on duty that he had a meeting with a military chaplain. They let him inside the barracks where he told stories that prompted suspicion about his identity.
However he was invited to stay the night and was given a meal and drinks in the officers’ mess. He was escorted from the base the next morning after Thames Valley Police officers were contacted.
A pub landlord had earlier turned the intruder away when he tried to claim a free meal by saying he was a friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The landlord of the Prince Harry pub in Windsor told the Daily Telegraph that the fake priest had been in the town for several days before last week’s security breach at the barracks.
The landlord of the Prince Harry pub in Windsor said that the fake priest had been in the town for several days before last week’s security breach at the barracks
‘He came in here on Monday morning at around 11.30am, saying he was a priest and had a collar on. He had two cups of tea and fish and chips,’ the landlord said.
‘He said ‘Prince Harry is a friend of mine and when I was here last year in 2021, I had to go back to the States to sort stuff out, and Prince Harry and Princess Markle said whenever I was in Windsor, I could come into the Prince Harry pub and have lunch and they’ll sort it out’.
A pub landlord had turned the intruder away when he tried to claim a free meal by saying he was a friend of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
‘Needless to say I just said ‘No’. I knew it was a con, so I wasn’t that interested. And when I saw the news earlier, I just started laughing. I think he was just out to see what he could get.’
A restaurant owner confirmed he had also served the man before the security alert.
George Ghanem, the manager of Maison Meejana in Windsor, said: ‘He had an American accent and came to eat here twice last week. I had a long conversation with him and he said he worked at the next-door church, but I’d never seen him before.
‘The first time, I gave him coffee on the house. He wasn’t wearing any robes. He had a black suit, black jumper and he had his collar on. He seemed a very respectable guy. We did not think there was anything wrong with him at all.
‘He was so tired, he fell asleep on the bar at 1pm. He looked fit, slim … a presentable guy with black hair,’ Mr Ghanem said.
It is understood that despite the man’s American accent, he was known to local police.
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