The Queen Awkwardly Got Locked Out of Windsor Castle Due to a Security Mistake

• Earlier this week, in an embarrassing incident, the Queen (opens in new tab) found herself locked out of her estate at Windsor Castle.
• The Queen was accompanied by protection officers at the time and they were forced to drive her in circles around the area until the gate was finally unlocked.
• A witness on the scene (opens in new tab) called the situation "hugely embarrassing."

You would think that being the literal Queen of England (opens in new tab) would guarantee you access to Windsor Castle (opens in new tab), one of the main residences of, you know, the Queen of England (opens in new tab). But you would be wrong. Even monarchs are vulnerable to awkward, fluky snafus.

On Thursday, Queen Elizabeth (opens in new tab) experienced just such a situation when she found herself locked out of her own castle. Don't you just hate it when that happens?

According to The Sun (opens in new tab), the 93-year-old monarch was was driving a Range Rover onto the estate Thursday when she realized she was stuck outside the Nelson's Gate entrance, which just wouldn't open for her. 

Luckily, Elizabeth was surrounded (opens in new tab) (as usual) by a bevy of protection officers at the time, and they sprang into action to help her—not that they were able to get in while the gate was locked. Security at Windsor Castle is predictably tight.

Per The Sun (opens in new tab)'s (opens in new tab) report on the incident: "A frustrated protection officer appeared to kick a side door in desperation before escorting the Queen around the block until the gate was unlocked."

"It’s hugely embarrassing," an onlooker on the scene told the British paper. "There should have been a guard opening the gates automatically when the Queen came round the corner. Someone either forgot to open them and there was no gatekeeper."

In the end, the Queen and her protection officers (opens in new tab) were forced to essentially circle the block like people looking for parking downtown until someone inside was able to correct the error and get the gate open.

Pictures from the uncomfortable incident are making the rounds on Twitter, including this photo of the clearly over it monarch waiting not-so-patiently in the car with her dog (opens in new tab):

AWK. WARD. On all counts.

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