The British monarchy has once again found itself in the spotlight due to glaring security failures that seem to plague the Windsors with striking regularity. Incidents like intrusions into the late Queen Elizabeth’s bedroom, surprise visits to the Prince and Princess of Wales, and over five hundred police-identified stalkers all pale in comparison to a nearly comical story that remained secret for three years. This concerns the audacious theft of jewelry belonging to Camilla, who was then the Duchess of Cornwall—an episode that unfolded under circumstances more reminiscent of a low-budget action comedy.
The scene was set at an ordinary rest area on the M40 motorway connecting London to Oxford and Birmingham. Three staff members working for Charles and Camilla decided to make a quick stop for coffee and a smoke. In their car was a valuable cargo—a box clearly labeled ‘Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall.’ Inside were jewels meant for the couple’s upcoming three-day official visit to Canada. In a moment of inexplicable carelessness, two assistants went into the café while the third stayed outside to stretch his legs, but none of them bothered to lock the vehicle’s doors.
A group of petty thieves quickly took advantage of this oversight. Spotting the unlocked car and the appealing jewelry box, they easily seized the loot. When the staff returned, they were met with an unpleasant surprise: the jewels were gone. The incident was immediately reported to the Duke’s office, which in turn brought in the British counterintelligence agency MI5. Agents quickly reviewed security camera footage and searched the area. Surprisingly, within a few hours the jewelry was found—though the box itself was missing—and returned to its owners. Charles and Camilla were informed, but it was decided not to make the incident public or even file a police report.
Three years later, this bizarre episode resurfaced, puzzling even the current king and queen. It turned out that in 2022, Charles was eager to avoid any scandals that might overshadow the celebration of his mother Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. However, this silence raised a lot of questions. Were the thieves just random passersby, or did they know what was in the car? How could palace staff have been so careless with transporting historical treasures? Why wasn’t a police investigation launched and what became of the three staff members involved? These questions remain unanswered, adding yet another odd chapter to the Windsor family’s security history.
