Britain's Prince Charles was at the centre of a security alert when a "scantily-clad" woman was found on the grounds of his estate.

Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla

Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla

The 66-year-old royal and his wife Duchess Camilla were in residence at their Dumfries House abode in Ayrshire, Scotland

when Mary McDougall, 24, and 39-year-old Steven Stewart - who were carrying a crossbow and a lock-knife - were stopped by royal protection officers after they were seen "acting suspiciously" by an estate worker on Tuesday (28.04.15) afternoon.

A police insider told the Daily Express newspaper: "With Prince Charles and Camilla officially in residence, Dumfries House and its grounds were effectively locked-down. No one who was not meant to be there was allowed into the grounds or the house itself.

"Then someone spotted this pair on the property and saw they had a crossbow. That sent the flag up and they were very swiftly encountered, detained and searched.

"It would appear the man was taking photographs of the woman who was scantily dressed to say the very least. He is not a professional photographer and she is not a professional glamour model, so people can draw their own conclusions as to what sort of photographs they were taking.

"They were within the grounds of a stately home owned by the future king carrying a crossbow and a knife. It was a fairly large-scale response to what could have been a very sinister situation."

The pair were arrested and taken into custody before appearing in private on petition at Ayr Sheriff Court yesterday (29.04.15) afternoon.

McDougall made no plea or declaration after she was charged with breach of the peace and possession of an offensive weapon, while Stewart appeared on a single charge of breach of the peace.

Both have been remanded in custody until they return to court on May 5.


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