On Sunday, Britain’s Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, accepted an apology from police officers for a rather embarrassing incident that took place late Wednesday afternoon.
Prince Andrew was stopped in the gardens of Buckingham Palace by two Metropolitan Police officers who didn’t recognize him and asked to see identification.
A few sources reported that the Prince was held at gun point. According to the London Metropolitan Police, however, no guns were drawn.
Prince Andrew responded by generously accepting the police apology:
“I am grateful for their apology and look forward to a safe walk in the garden in the future.”
While some viewed the latter part of his statement as a royal's attempt at humor, it rankled others including British journalist and television personality Piers Morgan:
Prince Andrew 'welcomes an apology' for Palace police trying to keep his mother safe? Is there no end to his ludicrous pomposity?
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) September 8, 2013
Police apologize to Prince Andrew for following procedure by protecting him for free as he enjoys walking around his free house and grounds.
— Not Brian Kettle (@briankettle) September 8, 2013
Others saw the incident as an opportunity to poke a little fun at the royal family:
Breaking news… Police find an unemployed middle-aged man wandering around the grounds of Buckingham Palace. Answers to the name of Andrew.
— Kevin O'Sullivan (@TVKev) September 8, 2013
The Associated Press took to Twitter to point out that the popular Prince Harry would never have suffered such embarrassment:
This would never happen to Harry! British police order Prince Andrew to identify himself at Buckingham Palace: http://t.co/aBFgEG5O2b
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 8, 2013
The Queen was not in residence at Buckingham Palace at the time. She and Prince Phillip have been at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland since the beginning of August.
Security may have been heightened at Buckingham Palace after an incident earlier in the week in which police arrested two trespassers who allegedly had plans to burglarize the premises.