The famous break-in of Buckingham Palace remains unbelievable 40 years after the incident. In one of Her Majesty’s most extraordinary moments, the intruder received a light sentence for stealing a bottle of Prince Charles’ wine.

The July 1982 breach of the palace was impressive. First, this break-in is interesting because it all happened at dawn, around 7.15 am. Moreover, the intruder, Michael Fagan, managed to single out the Queen’s bedroom out of nearly 200 bedrooms in the Palace. Fagan also triggered the internal alarm twice as he wandered around the palace. However, the police assumed it was an error and simply turned it off. Fagan still dared to walk around, admiring paintings in the palace.

Fagan even actually met the Queen after climbing in through her window. She was obviously startled and asked what he was doing. Shortly after, she fetched the guards, and a chambermaid entered the room to lead Fagan away. Rather than feel sad and frightened shortly after his arrest, he felt honored to have met the Queen and sat on her bed.

After the intrusion, the world learned that Fagan had also broken into the palace a month before without any issues. It was only during an intoxicated state that he returned and was eventually caught. 

Despite breaking into one of the most protected buildings in England, Fagan was not charged with serious crimes. Instead, he faced a theft charge and was later acquitted by a jury. That said, he also spent three months in a psychiatric hospital.