September 9, 2013

"Armed police pointed their guns at Prince Andrew and ordered him to 'put your hands up and get on the ground'..."

"... after mistaking him for an intruder in the gardens of Buckingham Palace."
Royal protection officers were said be "jittery" after a genuine intruder had been found in the Palace’s state rooms two days earlier....

[A] royal insider said: “Everyone is talking about these two incidents and can’t quite believe what has happened. The fact that this guy was able to wander off unchallenged and not be spotted by anyone is bad enough. But then to mistake the Duke for another intruder is almost incomprehensible. 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."
I've looked at the photo at the link, and I have to say, Prince Andrew looks like some guy. Would you recognize him outside of his natural habitat? Yes, he was in his own "gardens," but if he were unaccompanied and dressed nondescriptly, would you know it was him and not one of the "genuine intruders"?

12 comments:

pdug said...

I guess they racially profiled him

Clyde said...

At least he didn't end up like the 107-year-old codger in Arkansas who barricaded himself in his home and was shot by the local paramilitary SWAT team (he did shoot first, however). I wondered how someone who would do something so stupid lived to be 107 in the first place. Usually people with that kind of spectacular bad judgment manage to buy the farm at a much younger age. And I wondered why the SWAT team didn't just wait him out rather then going in with gas and inciting the reaction that ended up with the old fellow dead. With someone that old, time IS on your side. How long can he go between naps?

Unknown said...

He looks like some old guy. I haven't seen photos of him in quite a while and didn't even recognize him.

Richard said...

you and I, maybe not so much. But shouldn't armed, and presumably highly trained, police assigned to guard a small number of high profile individuals be able to y'know, *recognise the people they're supposed to be guarding*?

Uncle Pavian said...

After the machete attack on that army guy, the police rounded up a bunch of Twitter posters for saying unkind things about Muslims. It's generally understood that people who resist home invading criminals over there end up in jail themselves. So, it's nice to hear that the police in Britain are not completely useless, even if it's only at the pointy end of the social food chain. I share your aversion to international travel, at least when it comes to The Magic Kingdom.

Wince said...

Maybe this is why they used to wear crowns?

Darrell said...

They still don't forgive him for messing with Koo Stark's career.

madAsHell said...

The only reason to recognize him is Sarah Ferguson, and he screwed that up.

Firehand said...

Random beat me to it: the idea that people charged with protecting the royal family don't know what they look like...

Bryan C said...

If I worked for the man then, yes, I'd expect to know what he looked like.

Or perhaps Prince Andrew has already switched places with his peasant friend who looks just like him, and these guards are actually very, very astute...

Sam L. said...

Nope!

Anonymous said...

Life of a fringed royal.

The poor sobs are going to lose their jobs.