LONDON -- A man with a knife is facing charges after he tried to dart through a gate at Buckingham Palace in London on Monday, police said. The palace said Queen Elizabeth II was not in residence.
Breaches of royal security are rare, but just a month ago police arrested two men over a suspected break-in at the palace.
Metropolitan Police said David Belmar, 44, was charged with trespassing on a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. He will appear in court on Tuesday.
Belmar was apprehended as he tried to run through security at a palace gate that serves both pedestrians and vehicles.
Police -- who stressed in a statement that the suspect was apprehended "immediately" -- searched him and found a knife.
In September, an intruder was discovered prowling around the palace after scaling a fence, and an alleged accomplice was also arrested.
That was judged to be one of the most serious incidents since a man managed to sneak into the queen's private chambers in 1982.
