Fresh claims from an insider have shed light on the emotional toll Princess Kate Middleton is said to have endured following a “deeply unsettling” security breach at Kensington Palace late last year.
In December, reports sent shockwaves through the press after it emerged that an intruder had managed to gain access to the grounds of the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Kensington Palace residence on two separate occasions. The incident, which occurred just weeks before Christmas, is now said to have left Princess Kate upset.
Unsurprisingly, the experience is described as having shaken her sense of security at a very personal level.
The couple endured a trespasser at their London residence (Credit: SplashNews.com)
Princess Kate Middleton ‘deeply unsettled’ by palace intrusion
A source told Closer that the incident went far beyond a fleeting scare. “This wasn’t a minor incident – it was deeply unsettling. When someone breaches the place you call home, it hits you in the stomach and suddenly everything feels exposed,” they said.
The insider continued: “It left them shaken in ways people don’t see. It meant lying awake at night, replaying every ‘what if’ over and over. Kate was in tears. She finds this side of royal life unbearable, and the thought that the children could be at risk genuinely terrifies her. Still, Kate is strong and is doing her best to move forward. She’s told William she didn’t sign up for their family to live in fear.”
Kate was in tears.
On December 21 and 23, just days before Christmas, Derek Egan allegedly climbed over a fence at Kensington Palace. He was reportedly carrying a “heavy rucksack” and was later arrested in the palace gardens by officers from the Met Police Royal and Specialist Protection Command.
The 39-year-old remains in custody and has been charged with two counts of trespassing.
The Wales family’s London base
While the Prince and Princess of Wales relocated to Forest Lodge in Windsor last autumn, Kensington Palace’s Apartment 1A continues to serve as their London residence.
At the time of the intrusions, the family were not in London, instead spending the festive period at Anmer Hall in Norfolk. However, they had been staying at Kensington Palace shortly before the incidents occurred.
It is not the first time the couple have faced a security scare. In October 2024, two masked intruders reportedly crashed through a gate and climbed a six-foot fence at Windsor Castle while the Wales family were staying nearby at Adelaide Cottage.
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