A man told a British court on Friday that he wanted to “harm” Queen Elizabeth II after sneaking into Windsor Castle armed with a crossbow on Christmas Day in 2021.
Jaswant Singh Chail, 21, who was detained on the grounds of the palace when the late queen was there, pleaded guilty to three charges during a criminal court hearing.
Threat to kill the queen
They fall under the section of the 180-year-old Treason Act, admitting “intent … to injure the person of Queen Elizabeth II, or to alarm Her Majesty”.
He was also charged with making threats to kill the Queen and possessing a crossbow, an offensive weapon, in a public place.
Chail, from southern England, allegedly told security officers when he was arrested that he was “here to kill the Queen”.
He planned the attack in revenge for the massacre of Indians at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 by British colonial forces, the court had previously heard.
He posted a video saying he would kill the king, who died peacefully on September 8 at the age of 96 after a year of failing health.
The unemployed former supermarket worker is due to stand trial later this year over the incident in Windsor, west London.
But appearing at the capital’s Central Criminal Court, known as the Old Bailey, via video link from Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital, he admitted all three charges.
He will now be sentenced in the same court on March 31.
Crossbow loaded with bolts
The incident happened when the Queen spent Christmas Day that year at Windsor Castle with her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, and his wife Camilla.
It is understood that Chail had measured the perimeter of the field with a nylon rope ladder about two hours before his arrest.
He is said to be wearing a hood and mask and carrying a crossbow loaded with bolts, with the safety caught and ready to fire.
In the latter case, Englishman Marcus Sarjeant was sentenced to five years in prison in 1981 after pleading guilty to firing a blank shot at the king while he was on parade.
However, William Joyce – also known as Lord Haw Haw, who collaborated with Germany during World War II – was the last person to be convicted under the separate and more serious Treason Act of 1351.