On July 9, 1982, at just around 7 a.m., Michael Fagan shimmied up a Buckingham Palace drainpipe all the way to a flat roof that was only a few feet away from the palace’s main building. Par Audrey Salor. On July 9, 1982, one of the most bizarre incidents of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign took place. Michael Fagan, the infamous Buckingham Palace intruder has gone down in history—and become the subject of an episode in The Crown season 4. The Netflix drama plays fast and loose with the truth regarding the palace intruder, says the palace intruder himself Last modified on Wed 18 Nov 2020 04.37 EST Name: Michael Fagan. (He was acquitted.) Three years earlier, he became infamous as the man who broke into Buckingham Palace. Three years earlier, he became infamous as the man who broke into Buckingham Palace. During his first break in—where he also got in via drainpipe—he found himself in Buckingham Palace’s Room 108. He also bragged about having breached Buckingham Palace security before the incident and about stealing a bottle of wine from Prince Charles’s room. When a then 34-year-old Fagan was discovered in Queen Elizabeth II’s bedroom, it took a little while for her to get the chance to notify security that there was an extreme breach. But The Crown did take significant creative license. … "I don't know why I did it, something just got into my head," he told the outlet at the time. Michael Fagan in 1985. Let me walk you through the extraordinary 1982 incident of the Buckingham Palace Intruder, starring Michael Fagan, the man who broke into Queen Elizabeth's bedroom while she was sleeping. Fans Are Definitely Missing Claire Foy on 'The Crown', Season 4 of 'The Crown' Sheds New Light on the Tragic Death of Lord Mountbatten, Mark Thatcher Got Lost in the Desert and Wound up Embarrassing His Mother, Meet 'RHOP' Star Robyn Dixon's Parents, Gladys and Guy Bragg, Levee’s Tragic Story in ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ Has Real-Life Parallels, Who Plays Officer Tipping on 'Shameless'? In an episode titled "Fagan" in The Crown's fourth season, Michael Fagan breaks into Buckingham Palace. "I forgot you're only supposed to take a little handful," Fagan added. Les grilles de Buckingham Palace (PureStock/SIPA) After he was caught, Fagan was eventually acquitted of his "civil wrong" crime and sentenced to time in a psychiatric hospital. The Crown season 4 heavily fictionalizes Michael Fagan's July 1982 Buckingham Palace break-in, so what did he actually say to Queen Elizabeth II, if anything?The Netflix series dedicates an entire episode to the security breach, with English actor Tom Brooke portraying the infamous prowler. It was being used to store gifts the public sent for the Prince and Princess of Wales’s baby. “I drank it because I was waiting for someone to come.” And, the second time around, someone certainly did. The bones of the story line are true. Michael Fagan has recalled what happened when he broke into the Queen’s bedroom during the Royal Family’s biggest ever security breach in 1982. I was high on mushrooms for a long, long time.". Then he slipped into the chambers of Queen Elizabeth II. 'West Wing' Fans Should Recognize Him, Ariana Grande Is Engaged! Staff / Mirrorpix / Getty Images. In 1982, a man who was later profiled as Michael Fagan was spotted on the railings near the gates to the ambassadors' entrance. His father was a steel erector and a "champion safe-breaker." According to, well, Fagan himself: In a recent interview with The Telegraph, he recounted that they didn’t converse for very long at all. '", He mused it might have been because of his use of psychedelic mushrooms a few months previously. On The Crown, Fagan, who was portrayed by actor Tom Brooke, sat down on the edge of her bed and talked to her. Fagan did spend four years in prison after being arrested in 1997 for conspiring to supply heroin with his wife, Christine, and their 20-year-old son. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. All rights reserved. He is pictured here at the Tower of London, UK, in February 1985. In 1972, he married his wife Christine, with whom he had four children. On The Crown, Fagan, who was portrayed by actor Tom Brooke, sat down on the edge of her bed and talked to her. And the second time, he did wander into the queen’s bedroom for 10 uninterrupted minutes until she was able to get help. The real life Michael Fagan, who gained access to the bedroom of Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace in 1982. In real life, Fagan never reported sitting on her bed, but he did describe in detail what her bedspread and nightgown looked like and he publicly praised her for being less than harsh with him in the situation and afterward. Michael Fagan was a painter and decorator from Clerkenwell, London, born 8th August 1948. Reports published immediately after the incident in 1982 fleshed out their conversation topics a bit more: The New York Times, for example, wrote that Fagan and the queen talked about Prince Charles. The Queen (Olivia Colman) and Michael Fagan (Tom Brooke) in "The Crown." On the show, it was depicted in a way that makes it seem as though he effortlessly got into the palace and into her bedroom with no interference from palace security. An unemployed decorator called Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace and walked into the Queen’s bedroom. When Queen Elizabeth Had a “Surprise Visitor”: The True Story of Michael Fagan Michael Fagan in 1985. The event is depicted in the episode called Fagan, where we see it … Michael Fagan’s infamous Buckingham Palace break-in is being dramatised in the new series of The Crown. Since its Netflix premiere, The Crown has done a thorough job of diving deep into not only current events that surrounded the royal family since before Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation, but also the scandals that passed through the doors of Buckingham Palace. An unemployed decorator struggling with mental illness, he’s estranged from his wife, his children, and most of all, Thatcherism. It was one of … Here's … Not mentioned by any news outlet or even by Fagan himself. But now, decades after the incident, fans of The Crown are curious about where the Buckingham Palace intruder is today. An unemployed Fagan did break into Buckingham Palace, not once but twice. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and Michael Shea (in black) in 1985. “I was waiting to be captured,” he said during his trial for theft of the bottle of wine. Tim Graham Getty Images. Michael Fagan, the intruder who gained access to the bedroom of Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace pictured in 1985. Stream Season 4 of The Crown on Netflix now. Quand il est entré dans la chambre de la Reine Elisabeth Michael Fagan revient sur sa rocambolesque intrusion dans la résidence royale. Publié le 20 février 2012 à 18h15 Mis à jour le 20 février 2012 à 20h59. If you visit, you might meet someone like Michael Fagan. R. (This makes sense: Charles and Diana had just welcomed their first child, Prince William, weeks before.) You may remember in 1982 there was an intruder in Queen Elizabeth II's bedroom in Buckingham Palace; that was Michael Fagan. The Michael Fagan incident. Episode 5 of The Crown season 4, “Fagan” focuses on the July 1982 morning when 32-year-old Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace—specifically, the queen's bedroom—while she was in … On 9 July 1982, 31-year-old painter and decorator Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace and made his way to the Queen’s bedroom, in what was one of the biggest royal security breaches of the 20th century. Michael Fagan, 70, who broke into the Queen 's Buckingham Palace bedroom in 1982 has criticised Netflix for 'having a pop at the Queen' in an interview with FEMAIL. Michael Fagan, the man who broke into Buckingham Palace and made it right to Queen Elizabeth’s bedside, is featured in The Crown season 4. He climbed through an unlocked window and into the palace’s historic halls, undetected by cameras or security. In real life, Fagan made it sound like that was the case too. Exactly 37 years and one day prior, a man named Michael Fagan committed one of the most infamous security breaches in the palace’s history. In 2012, Fagan spoke with The Independent about why he did it and he still couldn’t figure out why he had broken into Buckingham Palace. He found a bottle of Australian wine in the cabinet and poured himself a drink. “‘What are you doing here?’” Fagan says the monarch asked when he pulled back her curtains. In the years since Fagan has done a few interviews where he once again described his two break-ins, but beyond that he isn't much of a public figure. Le 9 juillet 1982, aux alentours de 7 heures du matin, il avait alors réussi a pénétrer dans la chambre de la reine Elizabeth II. When a then 34-year-old Fagan was discovered in Queen Elizabeth II’s bedroom, it took a little while for her to get the chance to notify security that there was an extreme breach. In fact, there isn't much about him in recent years other than his portrayal in both The Crown and the series, Walking the Dogs. In reality, however, Fagan and Elizabeth didn't actually speak for very long, and the intruder didn't wake the Queen. "Two years later, I was still coming down. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Ils reviennent notamment sur l’affaire Michael Fagan. Netflix. In 1955, he attended Compton Street School in Clerkenwell (now St. … Just after 7.15am, on the morning of July 9, 1982, Queen Elizabeth II was woken by a disturbance behind her curtain. “The right to work, the right to be ill, the right to be old, the right to be frail, to be human—gone.”. So, where is Michael Fagan today? Fagan’s wine theft. Perhaps most bizarre, though, is an account from Charlotte Hodgman, editor of BBC History Revealed, which claims Fagan told his wife that he was visiting a girlfriend who lived in SW1 and went by the name of Elizabeth Regina. "She was wide awake when I got in there," Fagan recently told The Sun of the incident. One detail of The Crown’s depiction that is true? He was barefoot, unshaven, and wearing only a sweatshirt and jeans. The outrageous episode is set to feature in season 4 of The Crown – here, Charlotte Hodgman, editor of BBC History Revealed, explains what really happened… At the time, Michael was living in the Irish enclave of Kilburn in north London. Furthermore, Scotland Yard’s incident report at the time said that, after two phone calls to the police, “Her Majesty attracted the attention of the maid, and together they ushered Fagan into a nearby pantry on the pretext of supplying him with a cigarette.”. Nearly 40 years later, the worst security breach in Buckingham Palace history is revisited in season four, episode five, of The Crown, “Fagan.” Instead of showing it from the queen’s perspective, creator Peter Morgan approaches it from the downtrodden eyes of Fagan. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. Michael Fagan was born in Clerkenwell, London, on 8 August 1948, the son of Ivy and Michael Fagan. Here's the true story of how Michael Fagan entered the place in 1982. Here Are All the Deets About Her Fiancé, Dalton Gomez. Ad Choices. Michael Fagan, now 70, who came face-to-face with Her Majesty after climbing the railings of her London residence, also said Tom Brooke, the … (R. Brigden/Express/Hulton Archive) She then called the police lodge and asked for an officer, but six minutes later, had to call again because no one arrived. One Friday night, while he was watching television in his local Irish pub, it was announced that the Queen happened to be staying at … He breaks into the queen’s bedroom because he wants her to know how people like him were left behind by the conservative, deregulated state. A rant against conservatism and Thatcher, however? ... and the break-in of Michael Fagan into the queen’s bedroom. Season 4 Episode 5 of the series focused on the infamous Buckingham Palace security breach when a man by the name of Michael Fagan found his way into the queen’s bedroom undetected. Le 9 juillet 1982, à Buckingham Palace, la reine Elizabeth II se réveille et se retrouve face à Michael Fagan, simple citoyen qui s'est introduit dans sa chambre, alors qu'elle dormait. Il avait alors 32 ans. © 2020 Condé Nast. He had two younger sisters, Margaret and Elizabeth. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. “She’s destroying the country,” he says of Thatcher. On July 9, 1982, Michael Fagan successfully broke into Buckingham Palace and made his way into Queen Elizabeth's bedchambers. On July 9, 1982, a frightening incident occurred at Buckingham Palace when an intruder managed to break into Queen Elizabeth’s bedroom despite the heavy security measures that were put in place to prevent such. THE CROWN season four depicts the infamous Buckingham Palace break-in by London painter-decorator Michael Fagan but the man behind the … There was a man in her bedroom with blood all over his hands. Un dessin de presse de l’époque représentant entre la rencontre entre la reine Elizabeth II et Michael Fagan. "I went back [for a second break-in] because I thought 'that's naughty, that's naughty that I can walk round there. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories.