To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. In 1972 he married his wife, Christine, with whom he would go on to have four children. He was then sent to a psychiatric hospital for three months. Michael was a New York City . I bet the rest of it is a fiction as well. "I found rooms saying. In 1972, he married Christine, with whom he had four children (she left him the year of the break-ins, but later came back). Kate Fagan [born on November 15, 1981] is an American author, reporter, and commentator. Mike Fagan adjusting to life after PBA Tour - Peoria Journal Star The people that wrote The Crown, they've got an agenda. The book also described how Fagan's thumb was cut, and "dripped" blood onto the Queen's "bedclothes" (as reviewed in The Times on 29th September 1983). "Shes destroying the country," the fictional Fagan tells the Queen. He breaks into the queens bedroom because he wants her to know how people like him were left behind by the conservative, deregulated state. I was high on mushrooms for a long, long time.". William John Fagan Jr.; son, Brandon Michael Fagan; wife, Misty, and their two children, Patrick and Jacob; and countless colleagues, friend and students who . Three alarms in total were tripped, but the police turned them off, believing they were faulty. Fagan claimed that his famous palace break-in on 9th July 1982 was in reality his second break-in, meaning he managed to sneak into Buckingham Palace not once, but twice within the space of almost exactly a month. Fagan was married in 1972, and had four children, aged 3 to 10. Shortly, footman Paul Wybrew was summoned, who then escorted Fagan across the corridor the the Queen's pantry. In 1997, Fagan, his wife, and their 20-year-old son were charged with conspiring to sell heroin. I can imagine him just wanting to simply talk and say hello and discuss his problems. If she does, I'll send her a hundredth-birthday telegram," he told The Independent. The Queen may not be eager to hear from Faganbut hey, at least hes not planning another unscheduled visit to Buckingham Palace. "She went past me and ran out of the room, her little bare feet running across the floor," he told The Independent in 2012. 'It surprised me how shoddy it was. Initial reports said he had sat on the edge of her bed; however, Fagan said in a 2012 interview that the Queen left the room immediately to seek security. I wiped my hands on the curtains because I got some muck on my hands climbing the drainpipe and they were falling to pieces, these 20ft drapes. ', See Princess Eugenie's Rare Photo of Her Son, Mandy Moore's IG Gave 'This Is Us' Fans Flashbacks, Sharon Osbourne Gives Plastic Surgery Update. An out-of-work painter and decorator with convictions for heroin dealing and a number of petty crimes, Fagan was struggling after the breakdown of his marriage - his wife, Christine, had left. One detail of The Crowns depiction that is true? But I couldn't find a door which said WC, Fagan told The Independent UK. He attacked a Welsh police officer in 1984, and three years later, he was found guilty of indecent exposure. In 1982, Michael Fagan got into the Palace and woke the Queen in her bedroom July 1992 - Kevin McMahon, 25, was arrested inside the grounds for the second time in a week. Paul Michael Fagan Obituary - Tribute Archive Advertisement. And how can they make a drama? The fifth episode of the new series, which launched on Sunday, opens with global news reports of a break-in at Buckingham Palace: an intruder had climbed over a fence and into the palace grounds, before scaling a drainpipe and entering the royal quarters. The Crown: What Really Happened With The Michael Fagan Incident? - Yahoo! (This makes sense: Charles and Diana had just welcomed their first child, Prince William, weeks before.) The Queen woke when he moved a curtain, and reports at the time claimed that he sat on the edge of her bed. I didnt see anybody, all that ducking and diving. Then he slipped into the chambers of Queen Elizabeth II. Later Margaret Thatcher goes on to apologize to the Queen for the 'troublemaker' who 'resorted to violence' by breaking into the palace. A little over a month later, following an arrest and a brief stint in jail for stealing a car, Fagan returned to Buckingham Palace merely a day after being released on bail. Instead, she has shallow greetings with well-dressed, smiling crowds, as depicted in the start of "Fagan.". For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter! A police report heavily criticised of the officers on duty and the security systems in place. She then picked up the telephone by her bedside, asking the palace switchboard operator to send the police to her chambers, but after six minutes without rescue, she phoned again. 'It was like The Addams Family house, just old and flaky. He was committed to a mental hospital at sentencing, but by the following January a medical tribunal at the hospital determined that he no longer needed to be detained, according to the New York Times. In 1997, Fagan (together with his wife and 20-year-old son) was imprisoned for four years for conspiring to supply heroin. All of it is a complete fiction. Michael Fagan, 70, of north London, described the fifth episode of the new series of The Crown, which features his infamous break-in, as a 'complete fiction' and accused creator Peter Morgan of having his 'own agenda'. I walked straight in, Fagan later said of the incident. Additionally, "when the Queen tried to summon help when he entered her room, she found a 'panic button' was not working". It was like Goldilocks and the Three Bears; I tried one throne and was like 'this one's too soft'. He also spoke of entering the post room. It was a big, big room with one little person in it. According to a Scotland Yard investigation, Fagan was spotted by a police officer, who passed the message to the palace control room via another officer on duty, but the game of telephone was too inefficient to stop Fagan before he reached the inner sanctum. Michael Fagan twice entered Buckingham Palace by scaling the fence. Michael M. Fagan | Obituaries | trinityjournal.com Fagan didn't meet the Queen until the second break-in at Buckingham Palace. During his first. ', She goes on to cite unemployment figures to Thatcher, who says: 'If unemployment is temporarily high, it is a necessary side effect to the medicine we are administering to the British economy.'. Michael Fagan was a painter and decorator from Clerkenwell, London, born 8th August 1948. It is a Webby . "My wife is from the Bay Area, and Berkeley's a phenomenal school. Buckingham Palace intruder Michael Fagan, radio interview 1993. From there, he spent some time wandering through the palace, including twice triggering the alarm system while he perused King George V's stamp collection. In the decades following his Buckingham Palace break ins, Fagan was in and out of the spotlight with occasional interviews, as well as other legal trouble, including an arrest for indecent exposure which he described to the Independent as a "misunderstanding.". Michael D. Pitman, Journal-News, Hamilton, Ohio. I hadn't thought about going in there until that last second when it came into my head to do it, so I was shocked.". He consequently served four years in prison. They had to take a broad creative license to make their point. An Old Bailey jury heard yesterday how unemployed . The same police report reveals that Fagan was "carrying one piece of the broken ashtray, with which he has said that he intended to slash his wrists in the presence of Her Majesty. I eventually found a door and walked out into the back gardens, climbed over the wall and walked down the Mall, looking back and thinking 'ooh,'" he told the Independent. The first time he snuck into Buckingham Palace, Fagan roamed freely. Browse our new catalogue to inspire you with homeware, gardening tools, books and more! It was being used to store gifts the public sent for the Prince and Princess of Waless baby. Mr Fagan, 74, climbed up a drainpipe and broke into the royal. By signing up you agree to our User Agreement and Privacy Policy & Cookie Statement. "[7] He spent the next three months in a psychiatric hospital[8] before being released on 21 January 1983. The Queen telephoned to summon the police twice; none arrived in time. [5] The duty footman, Paul Whybrew, who had been walking the Queen's dogs, arrived, followed by two policemen on palace duty, who removed Fagan. After previously seeking aid through government channels without avail, the unemployed, divorced decorator sought help elsewhere: with Her Royal Highness herself. The Crown: The True Story of Michael Fagan Breaking into Queen's - ELLE It was one of the most extraordinary moments of Queen Elizabeth II's reign, and one that is still unbelievable 40 years later. His wife, Christine, left him just weeks earlier, which must have had a huge impact on his mental state. Reports at the time suggested that the Queen held a lengthy conversation with Fagan, intended to buy time until help arrived; however, Fagan tells the story differently. I got into Charles' room and took the wine off the shelf and [drank] it. He climbed through an unlocked window and into the palaces historic halls, undetected by cameras or security. After the palace break-ins, Michael Fagan was only charged with the theft of wine. .css-1fgik18{color:#323232;display:block;font-family:NewParis,NewParis-fallback,Georgia,Times,serif;font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.3125rem;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;-webkit-font-smoothing:auto;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-1fgik18:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-1fgik18{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-1fgik18{font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.2;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1fgik18{font-size:1.3125rem;line-height:1.2;}}The Crown Will Return for a 6th Season, The History Behind the Royal Title Prince of Wales, King Charles & Princess Anne Through the Years, Inside the Duke and Duchess of Windsor's Home, The Crown Is Filming Will & Kate's Love Story, The Crown Has Cast Young Prince William & Kate, Inside Charles and Camilla's Country Home, Helena Bonham Carter Says The Crown Should End. He enters the building through a window and is able to walk into the throne room, where he sits in one of the thrones, before drinking a bottle of wine and smashing a vase. However, he had disappeared before the guards arrived, who then didn't believe the housemaid's report. The bones of the story line are true. Several weeks before Fagan was arrested at the royal residence, he actually broke into the palace using a similar method. I didnt speak to the Queen. I didnt frighten her too much but I was quite shocked," he told of the moment he pulled back the bed curtains to discover Queen Elizabeth asleep in her bed. Moreover, this couple is a co-host of Free Cookies. The fourth episode of The Crown's fourth season focuses on the biggest breach in royal security in the 20th century: The day Michael Fagan (played by Tom Brooke), a 32-year-old Irishman living in London, snuck into the Queen's bedroom in Buckingham Palace. . He added: Sometimes you have to forsake accuracy, but you must never forsake truth.. She went past me and ran out of the room; her little bare feet running across the floor.". In Memory of Michael Fagan | News | coastalbreezenews.com He disappeared before guards arrived, who then disbelieved the housemaid's report. From the archive, 24 September 1982: Buckingham Palace intruder cleared Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. According to the same newspaper report, the jury took only 10 minutes to decide that Fagan was 'not guilty'. He began working as a painter and decorator, and in 1972, he married partner Christine, with whom he had four children. 'the Crown' Shows Real Story of Man Who Broke Into Queen's - Insider His father Michael was a steel erector and a "champion safe-breaker." However, he was acquitted of that charge by a jury in September 1982. "But I actually sat on her bed and almost got to talk to her. [16][17] The intrusion also inspired Trinidadian calypso singer Mighty Sparrow to write his ironic song "Phillip My Dear", very loosely based on the event. Fagan was arrested shortly thereafter. [2] An alarm sensor detected his movements, but police thought the alarm was faulty and silenced it. Three years earlier, he became infamous as the man who broke into Buckingham Palace. They would travel from their Marco Island home up the west coast of Florida, often past Fort Myers, so Michael could pay tribute to his fellow brothers and sisters. 'The Crown': Why Michael Fagan broke into Queen Elizabeth's Buckingham , updated He started working as a painter and decorator. So I go over and draw the curtain back, just to make sure, and suddenly she sat up," Fagan saidjust as he does in The Crown. The duty footman, Paul Whybrew, who had been walking the Queen's dogs, finally appeared, followed by two policemen, who removed Fagan. He pleads with the monarch to 'save us all from her Thatcher. All rights reserved. [1] In 1955, he attended Compton Street School in Clerkenwell (later St Peter & St Paul RC Primary School). . "Then she speaks and it's like the finest glass you can imagine breaking: 'Wawrt [sic] are you doing here?!'". Furthermore, Scotland Yards 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.. When Fagan visits his local Member of Parliament to complain about Thatchers policies, the MP jokingly encourages him to voice his complaints to the Queen. She said, Just one minute, Ill get someone, swept past me and ran out of the room, her little bare feet running across the floor.". They discuss where he lives, as well as whether Thatcher is becoming too 'presidential', with Fagan warning the monarch that 'she'll be after your job.'. This content is imported from vimeo. Nick Davies. Hastings isn't the first character created especially for The Crown - the show also featured Churchill's fictional secretary in season one. He also entered the postroom, drank a half bottle of white wine, and then snuck back out. Tom Brooke (known for playing PS Budd's mentally scarred friend in BBC One's Bodyguard) plays Fagan in The Crown cast, alongside Olivia Colman's Queen Elizabeth II. He added, "Her nightie was one of those Liberty prints and it was down to her knees. Michael Fagan, seen here in front of the Tower of London, became famous for breaking in to Buckingham Palace in 1982. [1] He viewed royal portraits and sat for some time on a throne. Too bad it didn't happen in real life. What are you doing here? Fagan says the monarch asked when he pulled back her curtains. "It was a double bed but a single room, definitely she was sleeping in there on her own," he told The Independent. Aged 73 in 2022, Michael Fagan is reportedly still living in London. In Season Four, Episode Five, titled Fagan, the hour devotes much of its screentime to Fagan, whom it envisions as the embodiment of the Margaret Thatcher-era working poor, who struggled to earn a living wage under Thatchers conservative, deregulated policies.