In the Queen's bedchamber: 30 years ago, 'shrooms in the soup led to colossal *advertiser censored*-up

wfgodot

Former Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2009
Messages
30,166
Reaction score
719
09 July 2012 will mark the 30th anniversary of Michael Fagan's ridiculously, wonderfully bold break-in at Buckingham Palace and his late-night encounter with HRH Queen Elizabeth II.

Michael Fagan: 'Her nightie was one of those Liberty prints, down to her knees' (Independent on Sunday)
Michael Fagan makes an unlikely criminal mastermind. The architect of the biggest royal security breach of the 20th century – sitting in a Wetherspoon's pub, sporting socks, sandals, an oversized parka and a winter hat with ear flaps – is more of a contender for the title of Britain's Most Embarrassing Grandpa. Nevertheless, in 1982 a 32-year-old Fagan scaled the barbed-wire-topped, 14ft wall of Buckingham Palace and shinned up a drainpipe before wandering into the Queen's bedroom and a place in history.
---
What exactly took place that night in the royal bedchamber?
"I was scareder than I'd ever been in my life," he says, widening his eyes theatrically as he recalls the moment he pulled back the curtains to see the Queen staring up at him. "Then she speaks and it's like the finest glass you can imagine breaking: 'Wawrt are you doing here?!'"
---
Reports at the time suggested the Queen had a long conversation with Fagan to stall him while security was summoned. Fagan tells it differently: "Nah! She went past me and ran out of the room; her little bare feet running across the floor."
---
What constituted initial Palace attempts to counter this major security breach?
When, finally, the Queen managed to summon help, it was an unarmed footman who stood watch until the police came. Fagan recalls, with increasing licence: "The footman came and said, 'Cor, f*cking hell mate, you look like you need a drink'. His name was [Paul] Whybrew, which is a funny name for someone offering you a drink, innit? He took me to the Queen's pantry, across the landing, where I presume she cooks her baked beans and toast and whatever – and takes a bottle of Famous Grouse from the shelf and pours me a glass of whisky."
---
How does Fagan account for his - not one, but two - Buckingham Palace break-ins?
Even all these years later, he cannot explain his motivation. "I don't know why I did it, something just got into my head," he says, breaking into a Pink Floyd song: "There's someone in my head and it's not me..." Describing his second visit, he adds: "I went back because I thought 'that's naughty, that's naughty that I can walk round there'." He suggests the whole incident stemmed from putting too many magic mushrooms in his soup five months earlier. "I forgot you're only supposed to take a little handful. Two years later I was still coming down. I was high on mushrooms for a long, long time."
---
The rest of this highly readable, funny, sad article, with details about the first break-in also, at link above

What Lilibet saw: Michael Fagan, c. 1982
 
Parlaying it all into negligible success: 1983 version of "God Save the Queen" Fagan recorded with the Bollock Brothers:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNXunYdINks"]Michael fagan god save the queen.wmv - YouTube[/ame]
 
That is classic. I especially enjoy the "Bollock Brothers".

There is so much I'd like to ask that guy. I don't care about her nightie. Did she sleep with a hot water bottle? Does she take a midnight snack? Was she having merely a kip or a full on sleep?

He was "scarderer" than the Queen.

Thankfully both are alive and well. That is crazy though. Lesson learned "Don't be mesing with 'shrooms".
 
That is classic. I especially enjoy the "Bollock Brothers".

There is so much I'd like to ask that guy. I don't care about her nightie. Did she sleep with a hot water bottle? Does she take a midnight snack? Was she having merely a kip or a full on sleep?

He was "scarderer" than the Queen.

Thankfully both are alive and well. That is crazy though. Lesson learned "Don't be mesing with 'shrooms".

Moderation in all things. Particularly with 'shrooms in the soup.

Quoted by Mr Fagan in the Independent on Sunday article:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwNYqHRHUOQ"]Brain Damage - Pink Floyd (Studio Version) - YouTube[/ame]
 
I must have blocked this from my mind lol. Love the detail of the Royal Madge's nightie and little bare feet.
I had some shrooms once, all I did was laugh all night :D
 
shrooms'll get ya every time. :floorlaugh:

This is one of the funniest stories I've ever read. Where is Monty Python when we need them?
 
This is the sort of story some of us cite when we say, happily, "There'll always be an England."
 

Members online

Online statistics

Members online
146
Guests online
2,652
Total visitors
2,798

Forum statistics

Threads
590,021
Messages
17,929,113
Members
228,039
Latest member
shmoozie
Back
Top