Police in Scotland has arrested a man at Holyrood Palace for being in possession of a "suspicious item" that was examined and inspected by a bomb disposal unit.
Reports cited that authorities in Scotland were on the alert for a potential terror attack but the suspicious item was eventually marked safe and not potentially harmful. The police then later confirmed that there was no more threat at Holyrood Palace but the investigations into the man will continue.
A spokesperson told the press that the police were called into Holyrood Palace at 8:50 p.m. on March 23. They still have the man in custody, who was described as someone in his late 30s with an arrest record. He is due to be in court on March 25.
In the summer, Queen Elizabeth usually spends a week in Holyrood Palace to conduct investitures and hold an audience among Scotland officials before she heads to Balmoral. She also stays in this royal property when she has visiting dignitaries. Some of the most famous people who have stayed in this castle include Nelson Mandela (1997), Vladimir Putin (2003) and Pope Benedict (2010).
Built in the 12th century, Holyrood Palace was once the home of Queen Mary of Scots. The queen's grandfather, George V, turned the castle into a modern building with elevators and bathrooms with proper plumbing in the early 1900s.
In May 2021, Prince William will be staying at the Holyrood Palace for the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. The Duke of Cambridge will represent his grandmother during the said occasion as the Lord High Commissioner.
Queen Elizabeth re-appointed her grandson to the same role since he was not able to perform his duties as the Lord High Commissioner in 2020 as the event was canceled due to COVID-19. While there, William will also welcome dignitaries who will be joining the assembly but details of the program are still not finalized.
Meanwhile, Holyrood Palace has a ghostly history given its centuries of existence. One of these ghosts is apparently an Italian musician named David Rizzio who worked for Queen Mary. Mary's husband Henry Stuart was said to be jealous of her closeness to Rizzio. He allegedly orchestrated Rizzio's murder and made Mary watch.
According to visitors of Holyrood House, Rizzio's bloodstains are still evident on the floor. The stains mysteriously reappear in the same place even as the floorboards have been replaced a number of times during the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
