Journalist flees royal security alert

An investigation was under way today after a journalist posing as a workman sparked a security scare at the Queen's official residence in Scotland.

An investigation was under way today after a journalist posing as a workman sparked a security scare at the Queen's official residence in Scotland.

The man managed to bypass security systems at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh and get within yards of the Royal Apartments.

He was caught by security staff during yesterday's incident but managed to break free and escape. Police were alerted and a search launched, but he was not caught.

Detectives had been trying to establish who the man was and why he was in a private area of the Palace.

But today it emerged he was a journalist, who has not been named, with the Sunday Times Scotland.

But a Lothian and Borders Police source said: "We are extremely angry about the whole incident.

"It meant a lot of police work as we had to search the scene to establish if the man was still in the palace and more officers had to be drafted in to check nothing had been left behind.

"It was a waste of resources and meant we had to pull officers from other duties to attend what appears to have been an exercise carried out by a journalist."

The incident happened at around noon yesterday - just 72 hours before the Prince of Wales is due to visit the palace.

The Queen is also due to stay at Holyrood in a fortnight's time, during a visit to officially open the Scottish Parliament.

The security breach came less than two weeks after a fathers' rights protester dressed as Batman scaled the walls of Buckingham Palace.

There have also been a series of recent security scares at official buildings across the UK, including the new Scottish Parliament.