While it appears the Coldstream Guards were unable to prevent a security breach at the British Army barracks near Windsor Castle, an area pub owner was reportedly able to see through the con man when he attempted to get a free meal on the royal dime.
“He came in here on Monday morning at around [11:30 a.m. local time], saying he was a priest and had a collar on. He had two cups of tea and fish and chips,” recounted the landlord of ‘The Prince Harry’ pub in Windsor, as reported by The Telegraph.
The pub owner highlighted that the man was wearing a clerical collar and spoke with an American accent.
“He said 'Prince Harry is a friend of mine and when I was here last year in 2021, I had to go back to the States to sort stuff out, and Prince Harry and Princess Markle said whenever I was in Windsor, I could come into the Prince Harry pub and have lunch and they'll sort it out,’” the owner said.
“Needless to say I just said 'No'. I knew it was a con, so I wasn't that interested,” the pub owner told the outlet. “And when I saw the news earlier, I just started laughing. I think he was just out to see what he could get.”
George Ghanem, manager of Maison Meejana in Windsor, also claimed to have served the man prior to the security alert about the security breach at the Victoria Barracks.
“The first time, I gave him coffee on the house. He wasn't wearing any robes. He had a black suit, black jumper and he had his collar on. He seemed a very respectable guy. We did not think there was anything wrong with him at all,” Ghanem recounted, as reported by the Daily Mail.
The man, who is reportedly familiar with the local police, ended up taking a nap at the bar around 1:00 p.m. local time, Ghanem noted.