A man who came to Windsor Castle carrying a crossbow and claiming to be there to “kill the Queen” has admitted guilt to a charge of treason.
Due to the Covid pandemic, Jaswant Singh Chail, a resident of Hampshire, was detained on Christmas Day 2021 while the late monarch was residing at Windsor.
Chail, 21, earlier entered a guilty plea to three charges at the Old Bailey.
He is the first person to be found guilty of treason in the UK since 1981.
Chail, from North Baddesley, near Southampton, also admitted making threats to kill and possessing the loaded weapon in the castle.
He was spotted by a royal protection officer in a private section of the castle grounds just after 08:10 GMT on 25 December 2021.
The officer was at a gate, leading to the monarch’s private apartments.
Chail had climbed into the grounds using a nylon rope ladder, and had already been there for about two hours.
He was wearing a hood and a mask, and was described as “like something out of a vigilante movie”.
The officer took out his Taser, and asked him: “Morning, can I help, mate?” Chail replied: “I am here to kill the Queen.”
The protection officer immediately told Chail to drop the crossbow, get on his knees, and put his hands on his head. Chail complied and then said again: “I am here to kill the Queen.”
The crossbow was found to be loaded with a bolt and the safety catch was off.
Chail was also carrying a handwritten note, which read: “Please don’t remove my clothes, shoes and gloves, masks etc, don’t want post-mortem, don’t want embalming, thank you and I’m sorry.”
In a video posted on Snapchat minutes before he entered the castle, Chail said: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry for what I’ve done and what I will do. I will attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, Queen of the Royal Family.
“This is revenge for those who have died in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. It is also revenge for those who have been killed, humiliated and discriminated on because of their race.”
Chail is currently in Broadmoor Hospital, where he appeared in court via a remote video link.