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Palaces & Buildings

British band sneak past Buckingham Palace security and ‘gatecrash’ party

It has emerged that a British alternative pop duo managed to sneak past security at Buckingham Palace last month disguised as an Renaissance music ensemble.

The band, Cat’s Eyes, managed to make their way through security with ease and performed their music in front of unwitting guests at a private party hosted at the palace.

The publicity stunt was captured on video, and shows the singers performing a song from their album at a private art talk at the Queen’s gallery. The guests believed they were listening to authentic Renaissance and Baroque era compositions.

The band’s singers successfully managed to get past security, bringing in instruments and their players as well.

They told guards they were playing at a foreign ambassador’s post-dinner tour of the royal art collection.

The Palace strictly bans guests from bringing in musical instruments with them and putting on performances without prior arraignments being put in place.

It is unclear where the performance took place, although the video footage appears to show them in the Queen’s Gallery – a building adjacent from Buckingham Palace, run separately by the Royal Collection Trust.

One of the band’s members told The Times newspaper: “I can’t outright admit that I committed a crime but I did have to lie to make it happen.”

There have been a number of security breaches at the Palace in recent times, although this stunt appears to be on the lower end.

Just last year, two protesters managed to climb onto the roof of the Queen’s official residence. They were later taken away and arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site.

 In 2003, an undercover journalist managed to get a job as a palace footman by providing a false reference.

Also in 2013, a suspected burglar was arrested in a palace state room after managing to get past security.