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The True Story of Queen Elizabeth and Michael Fagan, the Palace Intruder

The Crown Season 4 revisits Michael Fagan’s infamous Buckingham Palace break-in. Here’s what really happened….

On July 9, 1982, at just around 7 a.m., Michael Fagan shimmied up a Buckingham Palace drainpipe all the way to a flat roof that was only a few feet away from the palace’s main building. He was barefoot, unshaven, and wearing only a sweatshirt and jeans. He climbed through an unlocked window and into the palace’s historic halls, undetected by cameras or security. Then he slipped into the chambers of Queen Elizabeth II.

Nearly 40 years later, the worst security breach in Buckingham Palace history is revisited in season four, episode five, of The Crown, “Fagan.” Instead of showing it from the queen’s perspective, creator Peter Morgan approaches it from the downtrodden eyes of Fagan. An unemployed decorator struggling with mental illness, he’s estranged from his wife, his children, and most of all, Thatcherism. He breaks into the queen’s bedroom because he wants her to know how people like him were left behind by the conservative, deregulated state. “She’s destroying the country,” he says of Thatcher. “The right to work, the right to be ill, the right to be old, the right to be frail, to be human—gone.”

The bones of the story line are true. An unemployed Fagan did break into Buckingham Palace, not once but twice. And the second time, he did wander into the queen’s bedroom for 10 uninterrupted minutes until she was able to get help.

But The Crown did take significant creative license. According to, well, Fagan himself: In a recent interview with The Telegraph, he recounted that they didn’t converse for very long at all. “‘What are you doing here?’” Fagan says the monarch asked when he pulled back her curtains. Furthermore, Scotland Yard’s incident report at the time said that, after two phone calls to the police, “Her Majesty attracted the attention of the maid, and together they ushered Fagan into a nearby pantry on the pretext of supplying him with a cigarette.”

Reports published immediately after the incident in 1982 fleshed out their conversation topics a bit more: The New York Times, for example, wrote that Fagan and the queen talked about Prince Charles. (This makes sense: Charles and Diana had just welcomed their first child, Prince William, weeks before.) A rant against conservatism and Thatcher, however? Not mentioned by any news outlet or even by Fagan himself.

One detail of The Crown’s depiction that is true? Fagan’s wine theft. During his first break in—where he also got in via drainpipe—he found himself in Buckingham Palace’s Room 108. It was being used to store gifts the public sent for the Prince and Princess of Wales’s baby. He found a bottle of Australian wine in the cabinet and poured himself a drink. “I was waiting to be captured,” he said during his trial for theft of the bottle of wine. (He was acquitted.) “I drank it because I was waiting for someone to come.” And, the second time around, someone certainly did.

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Nike Zoom Hyperflight “Safari” Official Images Reveal Bold Print Ahead of Holiday Release

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The Nike Zoom Hyperflight is getting a bold new look, with the “Safari” colorway coming soon. We have official photos of the unique design for a closer look. The sneaker sports bright orange accents and a translucent outsold, and is expected to arrive during the holiday season at a retail price of $190.

The new version is inspired by the Safari print that is familiar from the Air Safari. That pattern covers most of the Hyperflight’s soft, molded upper, giving the basketball shoe a unique look compared with some of the model’s other recent colorways. Together, the unusual texture and pattern make the silhouette feel especially suited to the adventurous design.

The primary contrast across the shoe is orange, used in the trim and other details. The bright color pops against the speckled base without being overwhelming. Black is also present in the design, on the glossy support structure around the midfoot and the soft leather collar. The look is topped off with a see-through outsole that adds another visual element to the overall color scheme.

The sneaker will drop with style code IZ2573-010 and is expected in men’s sizing. With a retail price tag of $190, Nike, Foot Locker, and Sheikh are among the expected retailers. As for when you can expect it, it’s likely to be the holiday season, though we don’t have a solid release date.

The “Safari” colorway comes amid a busy period for the Zoom Hyperflight. This year, Nike has revived the model in several colors, bringing a new wave of attention to the silhouette through a series of releases. Another forthcoming option is the vibrant “Green Apple” pair, also scheduled for a holiday season release.

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The Hyperflight’s history also provides context for the latest return. Jason Williams wore the model in the early 2000s, linking it to a memorable era for the sneaker. That association also helps explain why new colorways can generate excitement beyond the shoe’s look, especially for those who remember it from its previous run.

The Safari design is a definitive statement that does not change the characteristic shape of the Hyperflight. Instead, it uses the familiar silhouette as a canvas for a pattern that has already become recognizable through another Nike model. The orange accents provide a bright contrast, while the black midfoot structure and collar balance it out.

Now that official images have surfaced, sneaker fans have a clearer idea of what to expect from the holiday release. The $190 price, style code, and expected retail partners have also been identified, but a specific launch date has not been confirmed.

For Nike, the “Safari” is another way to bring attention back to the Zoom Hyperflight. One of its more distinctive new looks is this returning model, featuring speckled print, orange trim, black support details, and an icy-looking translucent outsole.

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Lil Yachty Previews Another Nike Air Force 1 Mid, This Time With Blue and Orange Stitching

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Lil Yachty has added another eye-catching design to his ever-growing collection of Nike US Force 1 Mids, this time going for a cleaner white look accented by blue and orange stitching. The rapper’s latest take on the shoe keeps the familiar silhouette. Still, it uses contrasting details to give the shoe its own identity, something the artist is known for, showing off a steady run of variations on the silhouette.

 

Dubbed the “White Contrast Stitch,” the pair features white leather across most of the upper. Rather than altering the classic Air Force 1 Mid profile or incorporating a strange material, the design uses stitching to separate the design visually. Blue stitching embellishes the leather panels, and each side of the shoe’s Swoosh is lined with orange.

 

The combo adds a subtle but noticeable splash of color to the mostly white sneaker. It’s a more muted take than some of the more adventurous pairs Yachty has shown recently, so this version feels like the more no-nonsense option in his growing collection.

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The new design adds to the long list of Air Force 1 Mid looks associated with the rapper this year. Earlier previews have featured a stars-and-stripes pair, an orange version with black stars, and a yellow colorway tied to ComplexCon. Each has put a different spin on the familiar silhouette, helping make Yachty’s run of designs a continuing talking point among sneaker watchers.

 

Earlier this year, another pair of the shoes, this time with blue and red detailing and thick white stitching, was also teased. That version is expected to launch around the holidays, but the details provided don’t confirm whether it will launch alongside the recently unveiled white one.

 

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Some questions remain unanswered about the “White Contrast Stitch” design. Nike has not confirmed any price, style code, or even whether the sneaker will be released to the public. The design has drawn attention through its online appearance and Yachty’s preview, but neither sets a launch date nor guarantees consumers can buy it.

 

That anticipation makes the latest reveal more of a first look than a proper release announcement. The white leather upper and blue-and-orange stitching are on display, but key retail details remain unknown. For now, there is no confirmed timeline for when the pair might hit stores, or if it will be offered beyond the preview.

 

Still, the design adds another variation to a collection that has featured a wide variety of colors and details. The white base makes this one more subtle, while the contrast stitching keeps it from being a straight-up all-white release.

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Yachty’s latest preview continues his ongoing relationship with the silhouette, with several other Air Force 1 Mid designs already shown this year. It’s not clear if the “White Contrast Stitch” pair will ever make it to the light of day, but it’s definitely added another distinct look to his growing collection.

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