In July 1982, one of the biggest security lapses during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II occurred.
In early July, a man intruded into Buckingham Palace by shimming up a drainpipe. He disturbed a housemaid and fled before guards arrived. The guards initially disbelieved the maid’s report.
The man was painter and decorator Michael Fagan. He later found an unlocked window and entered the palace. He wandered around, found some cheese and crackers to snack on, and drank half a bottle of wine. He later told police he sat on the throne and looked at the many portraits hanging on the walls. As he wandered, he set off three alarms, but police dismissed them as faulty.
On 9 July, Fagan returned to the palace. At around 7am, he scaled the four-metre wall surrounding the palace and entered the Queen’s private apartment. In an anteroom, he broke a glass ashtray and cut his hand.
Fagan walked into the Queen’s bedroom with his bleeding hand, and when he disturbed a curtain, the monarch awoke to find him in her room. While Queen Elizabeth II summoned staff, she spoke with Fagan, who had sat on the end of her bed.
The Queen phoned the palace switchboard twice requesting police, but none arrived. She then rang for a maid and sent her to get help. Soon after, a footman and two police officers arrived and escorted Fagan away.
The incident revealed that security around the monarch was lax, with systems described as outdated and often faulty. It prompted a major review of palace security.
Soon afterwards, on 17 July, the Queen’s head bodyguard, Commander Michael Trestrail, was forced to resign. While his resignation was not directly over the incident with Fagan, it was triggered by it.
Amid intense media scrutiny of palace security, a sex worker, Michael Rauch, who had an ongoing relationship with Commander Trestrail, attempted to sell his story to a newspaper for £20,000.
The newspaper declined to publish the story but reported the information to the palace. Trestrail subsequently offered his resignation, ending his service protecting the royal family, which he had undertaken since the mid-1960s.
The reason for Trestrail’s resignation was made public in Parliament by Home Secretary William Whitelaw on 19 July, a move that publicly outed the respected officer.
A later report cleared Trestrail of any wrongdoing, stating that he had carried out his duties loyally and efficiently but had led a secret double life. A report in the New York Times described him as “indulging in homosexual activities, mostly with prostitutes.”
The report into Commander Trestrail, which has since been made public, also detailed that Rauch had previously attempted to blackmail the officer. Trestrail responded by declaring he would report the incident to police if Rauch proceeded.
With the report clearing him of wrongdoing and finding that his sexuality had no bearing on the incident involving Fagan, Trestrail later commented to the media, saying, “Hopefully now it’s all over.”
At the time, there were also reports that Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was considering an in-depth investigation to determine whether other homosexual people were working in the royal palaces. While this was never confirmed, it has been widely suggested that Queen Elizabeth discouraged further investigation, aware that there were many gay staff in her employ.
Historically, the Metropolitan Police employed vetting practices that deemed LGBTIQA+ people unsuitable for service, and those who were accepted were often forced to conceal their sexuality.
Today, LGBTIQA+ officers serve openly. A Freedom of Information request in 2019 found that nearly 1,000 officers identified as LGBTIQA+ out of a force of around 33,000 members, with many holding senior roles.
Hero image: HM Queen Elizabeth II attending The Epsom Derby Meeting at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey. 4th June 2011. Picture by: Simon Burchell / Shutterstock
