Teenager charged with trying to scale Windsor Castle wall

A teenager has been charged with trying to scale a wall in a private courtyard at Windsor Castle, one of Queen Elizabeth II's homes, police said Wednesday.

The 17-year-old, whose name police did not release, was charged with public order offenses and scheduled to attend a Dec. 1 hearing.

Officers found the teen and a friend trying to climb the wall around 2:30 a.m. on Oct. 30. The friend, also a teenager, was given a warning for drunkenness. There have been a number of embarrassing security lapses at the royal families' residences in recent years.

In September, a protester disguised as Batman climbed onto a ledge at the front of Buckingham Palace and remained there for several hours. In 2003, a Daily Mirror reporter revealed just before a state visit by U.S. President George W. Bush that he had been hired to work at the palace, where Bush stayed, even though he gave false references, AP reports.

A. A.