THE CROWN season four depicts the infamous Buckingham Palace break-in by London painter-decorator Michael Fagan but the man behind the … In 1972, he married his wife Christine, with whom he had four children. An unemployed decorator struggling with mental illness, he’s estranged from his wife, his children, and most of all, Thatcherism. But now, decades after the incident, fans of The Crown are curious about where the Buckingham Palace intruder is today. Three years earlier, he became infamous as the man who broke into Buckingham Palace. He also bragged about having breached Buckingham Palace security before the incident and about stealing a bottle of wine from Prince Charles’s room. Not mentioned by any news outlet or even by Fagan himself. An unemployed Fagan did break into Buckingham Palace, not once but twice. 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. Staff / Mirrorpix / Getty Images. In real life, Fagan made it sound like that was the case too. 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.”. 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. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. 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. 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. One Friday night, while he was watching television in his local Irish pub, it was announced that the Queen happened to be staying at … So, where is Michael Fagan today? In an episode titled "Fagan" in The Crown's fourth season, Michael Fagan breaks into Buckingham Palace. In 1955, he attended Compton Street School in Clerkenwell (now St. … “‘What are you doing here?’” Fagan says the monarch asked when he pulled back her curtains. Ils reviennent notamment sur l’affaire Michael Fagan. The Michael Fagan incident. The real life Michael Fagan, who gained access to the bedroom of Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace in 1982. But The Crown did take significant creative license. Here Are All the Deets About Her Fiancé, Dalton Gomez. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. He had two younger sisters, Margaret and Elizabeth. R. 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. 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 … 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. Michael Fagan was a painter and decorator from Clerkenwell, London, born 8th August 1948. 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 reality, however, Fagan and Elizabeth didn't actually speak for very long, and the intruder didn't wake the Queen. I was high on mushrooms for a long, long time.". The event is depicted in the episode called Fagan, where we see it … 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. Un dessin de presse de l’époque représentant entre la rencontre entre la reine Elizabeth II et Michael Fagan. 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. (This makes sense: Charles and Diana had just welcomed their first child, Prince William, weeks before.) On The Crown, Fagan, who was portrayed by actor Tom Brooke, sat down on the edge of her bed and talked to her. “The right to work, the right to be ill, the right to be old, the right to be frail, to be human—gone.”. Publié le 20 février 2012 à 18h15 Mis à jour le 20 février 2012 à 20h59. "I went back [for a second break-in] because I thought 'that's naughty, that's naughty that I can walk round there. (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. 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. Ad Choices. "I don't know why I did it, something just got into my head," he told the outlet at the time. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. His father was a steel erector and a "champion safe-breaker." Just after 7.15am, on the morning of July 9, 1982, Queen Elizabeth II was woken by a disturbance behind her curtain. He climbed through an unlocked window and into the palace’s historic halls, undetected by cameras or security. He found a bottle of Australian wine in the cabinet and poured himself a drink. Netflix. During his first break in—where he also got in via drainpipe—he found himself in Buckingham Palace’s Room 108. Les grilles de Buckingham Palace (PureStock/SIPA) 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. “I drank it because I was waiting for someone to come.” And, the second time around, someone certainly did. Quand il est entré dans la chambre de la Reine Elisabeth Michael Fagan revient sur sa rocambolesque intrusion dans la résidence royale. Here's the true story of how Michael Fagan entered the place in 1982. The Queen (Olivia Colman) and Michael Fagan (Tom Brooke) in "The Crown." … He is pictured here at the Tower of London, UK, in February 1985. 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. On The Crown, Fagan, who was portrayed by actor Tom Brooke, sat down on the edge of her bed and talked to her. The bones of the story line are true. Michael Fagan was born in Clerkenwell, London, on 8 August 1948, the son of Ivy and Michael Fagan. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, and Michael Shea (in black) in 1985. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Tim Graham Getty Images. When Queen Elizabeth Had a “Surprise Visitor”: The True Story of Michael Fagan Michael Fagan in 1985. 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. "Two years later, I was still coming down. An unemployed decorator called Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace and walked into the Queen’s bedroom. 'West Wing' Fans Should Recognize Him, Ariana Grande Is Engaged! ... and the break-in of Michael Fagan into the queen’s bedroom. "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? All rights reserved. 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 was acquitted.) And the second time, he did wander into the queen’s bedroom for 10 uninterrupted minutes until she was able to get help. You may remember in 1982 there was an intruder in Queen Elizabeth II's bedroom in Buckingham Palace; that was Michael Fagan. Stream Season 4 of The Crown on Netflix now. 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. 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 … Then he slipped into the chambers of Queen Elizabeth II. 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. 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. 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. It was being used to store gifts the public sent for the Prince and Princess of Wales’s baby. 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. It was one of … 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… Fagan’s wine theft. Michael Fagan’s infamous Buckingham Palace break-in is being dramatised in the new series of The Crown. Michael Fagan, the infamous Buckingham Palace intruder has gone down in history—and become the subject of an episode in The Crown season 4. There was a man in her bedroom with blood all over his hands. “She’s destroying the country,” he says of Thatcher. Three years earlier, he became infamous as the man who broke into Buckingham Palace. Il avait alors 32 ans. In 1982, a man who was later profiled as Michael Fagan was spotted on the railings near the gates to the ambassadors' entrance. Michael Fagan in 1985. “I was waiting to be captured,” he said during his trial for theft of the bottle of wine. © 2020 Condé Nast. 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. 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. On July 9, 1982, Michael Fagan successfully broke into Buckingham Palace and made his way into Queen Elizabeth's bedchambers. 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. He was barefoot, unshaven, and wearing only a sweatshirt and jeans. At the time, Michael was living in the Irish enclave of Kilburn in north London. 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'? According to, well, Fagan himself: In a recent interview with The Telegraph, he recounted that they didn’t converse for very long at all. A rant against conservatism and Thatcher, however? "I forgot you're only supposed to take a little handful," Fagan added. Par Audrey Salor. 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. 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. '", He mused it might have been because of his use of psychedelic mushrooms a few months previously. 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. Michael Fagan, the intruder who gained access to the bedroom of Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace pictured in 1985. 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. 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. Here's … After he was caught, Fagan was eventually acquitted of his "civil wrong" crime and sentenced to time in a psychiatric hospital. On July 9, 1982, one of the most bizarre incidents of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign took place. If you visit, you might meet someone like Michael Fagan.