Derek Egan accused of climbing over Kensington Palace fence, William and Kate’s London home

Eloise Budimlich
The Nightly
A man has been charged with trespass after he allegedly climbed into the garden of Kensington Palace.
A man has been charged with trespass after he allegedly climbed into the garden of Kensington Palace. Credit: Supplied

Just days before Christmas, an intruder managed to climb over the fence of Prince William and Kate’s home twice.

Derek Egan, 39, has been charged with two counts of trespassing after he was allegedly captured in the gardens of the Kensington Palace residence.

Though the Prince and Princess of Wales live in Windsor, they use one of the palace’s apartments as their London home.

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On December 21, Mr Egan was caught by police and released on bail, but just two days later on December 23, he was caught a second time.

He is now being held in custody, and royal aides were told about the security breach, The Sun reported.

Dai Davies, the former head of the Met police’s royal and specialist protection branch said the actions are worrying.

“The fact he repeated the offending after being given bail, given the nature of it, gives serious cause for concern,” he said.

“The police must work out what level of danger the royal family were in, and based on the charges, why on Earth he was given bail?

“Any attempt to get into Kensington Palace needs careful investigation into the motive, any mental health concerns, and if the person is fixated on a royal.

Mr Davies said if Mr Egan wasn’t on “the list” before, he certainly would be now.

“You never know what someone may do when they attempt to break in. There are still a number of royals living at Kensington ­Palace, so any intrusion is of course concerning.”

The Sun reported William and Kate were not at the palace during either security breach, and were staying at Anmer Hall, their country home at Sandringham.

Mr Egan appeared at Westminster magistrates’ court on December 30.

He was supposed to appear before Bromley magistrates’ court on December 24, but he would not exit the prison van.

Mr Egan is yet to enter a formal plea, but is expected to do so at his next hearing on Tuesday.

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