By Molly Claire Goddard
6:59am PST, Jan 7, 2026
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Derek Egan was arrested for breaching the grounds of Kensington Palace on December 21 and again on December 23 with a "heavy rucksack,"
according to authorities. The man is in custody and has been charged with two counts of trespassing after being given bail for the first offense. Luckily,
Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children were not at their apartment at the time.
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Former head of the Metropolitan Police's royal and specialist protection branch
Dai Davies said the situation should alarm The Firm. "The fact he repeated the offending after being given bail, given the nature of it, gives serious cause for concern," he told
The Sun. "The police must work out what level of danger the royal family was in, and based on the charges, why on Earth was he given bail?"
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"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," Dai Davies emphasized. "If this person wasn't already on a list, he certainly will be now. You never know what someone might 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."
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Dai Davies stressed the need for extensive security measures for everyone connected to The Firm. "I'm glad this man has been caught. But this shows the police can never be off guard when protecting our royal family," he said.
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The break-in comes as
Prince William and Kate Middleton's new neighbors at Forest Lodge complained about the security fence installed around the estate. "We appreciate the need for privacy, but it's a real shame. We are absolutely gutted," one anonymous local told
DailyMail.com about the fence. "They say you can use other gates, but you can't because there's nowhere to park. We've lived here for 20 years, it's lovely in there."
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Despite the backlash, the measure is vital. "This is a question of priorities. The safety of the heir to the throne [
Prince William] is the highest priority imaginable," Dai Davies told
DailyMail.com. "Any suggestion that the family's need for privacy played a significant part in the decision is, in my view, so wide of the mark as to be laughable."
