Buckingham Palace 'Explosion' Interrupts 'Surreal' News Broadcast in Clip

The moment London's Metropolitan Police carried out a "controlled explosion" at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday was caught on camera during a "surreal" news broadcast that saw a British lawmaker asked to evacuate his portable-cabin studio.

Conservative Member of Parliament Jacob Rees-Mogg—whose antiquated eccentricities have seen him sometimes referred to as the "honorable member for the 18th century"—was mid-broadcast on his GB News network show on Tuesday when a loud bang was heard from outside the makeshift studio he was using outside Buckingham Palace.

A number of news networks have set up camp in the official "media village" outside the palace to cover King Charles III's coronation on Saturday.

During an interview with royal expert Michael Cole, Rees-Mogg was heard on air being told to evacuate before the explosion occurred as he was mid-sentence.

"I'm very sorry to say it is good evening from me for the time being," he told viewers. "As I think that was a controlled explosion in the background. That's what it sounded like to me. We will no doubt find out later."

It was revealed later that the explosion was a "controlled" exercise carried out by the Metropolitan Police after a 59-year-old man was arrested outside the palace after throwing a number of objects into the grounds.

He was found to be in possession of a knife, and according to reports published by the Sun newspaper, told witnesses: "I'm going to kill the king."

A statement from the Metropolitan Police said: "Officers quickly detained a man at around 19:00hrs on Tuesday, 2 May after he approached the gates of Buckingham Palace SW1 and threw a number of items—suspected to be shotgun cartridges—into the Palace grounds. These have been recovered and will be taken for specialist examination.

"The 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon after he was searched and a knife was found. He was not in possession of a firearm. He remains in custody at this time.

"Cordons were in place after the man was also found to be in possession of a suspicious bag. Specialists attended and following an assessment a controlled explosion was conducted as a precaution. The cordons were later removed."

Speaking about the operation, police Chief Superintendent Joseph McDonald noted that: "Officers worked immediately to detain the man and he has been taken into police custody.

"There were no reports of any shots fired, or any injuries to officers or members of the public. Enquiries are ongoing."

The footage from the GB News broadcast showing Rees-Mogg's reaction to the explosion has since gone viral with a number of social media users noting the bizarre nature of the event.

"The surreal spectacle of Jacob Rees-Mogg broadcasting from a Portakabin outside Buckingham Palace while a controlled explosion is apparently carried out," wrote broadcaster Julian Druker on Twitter.

"There's something uniquely British about this scene where Jacob Rees-Mogg continues in a calm manner whilst a controlled explosion is carried out near Buckingham Palace," wrote another Twitter user, with a further adding:

"You can't get anymore British than GB News Jacob Rees Mogg getting asked to evacuate while a controlled explosion happens outside Buckingham Palace."

Preparations around the palace and the surrounding area are underway for the coronation celebrations that will take place on May 6.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will make Buckingham Palace the coronation focal point after the service at Westminster Abbey. The couple will be driven through Westminster and down The Mall to the palace in the elaborate Gold State Coach which was made in 1762.

Once there, the king and queen will make a special balcony appearance where crowds are expected to gather in the manner of other great royal events, such as most recently, the Platinum Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

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