Man arrested for gatecrashing British royal party

British police arrested a gatecrasher at Windsor Castle as Britain's Royal Family went 'Out of Africa' last night with a midsummer…

British police arrested a gatecrasher at Windsor Castle as Britain's Royal Family went 'Out of Africa' last night with a midsummer fancy dress party to celebrate the 21st birthday of Prince William.

The 36-year-old London man, wearing a false beard, jumped on stage and grabbed the microphone just as the prince was about to make a speech. Media reports said the intruder was dressed as Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al Qaeda militant group.

The Home (Interior) Office immediately ordered an inquiry into the incident that was deemed to be a prank but revealed a serious lapse of security around the royal family.

The party was otherwise without incident. Even the prince's grandmother Queen Elizabeth had promised to don fancy dress to celebrate the coming of age of the student prince who has inherited the handsome looks of his late mother, Princess Diana.

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More than 300 family and friends were invited from William's godparents to "the glossy posse" - the nickname for the young women who eagerly admire the polo-playing prowess of one of the world's most eligible bachelors.

William, seeking to tame Britain's fevered tabloid press, said: "I don't have a steady girlfriend."

And he said he felt sorry for anyone who goes out with him under the full and unforgiving glare of the media.

"There has been a lot of speculation about every single girl I'm with and it actually does quite irritate me after a while, more so because it's a complete pain for the girls."

"It's very difficult for them and I don't like that at all," he added. "Suddenly they get thrown into the limelight."

Playing at the party was a six-piece African marimba band, Shakarimba, from a remote village in Botswana. Prince William heard them while on holiday in Botswana in 1999. Now the combo is entertaining the cream of British high society.