A security officer once mistook Queen Elizabeth II for one of many burglars who have gained access to Buckingham Palace in recent years.

According to a story in the Times, an unidentified soldier recounted how he almost fired the trigger when he saw an unknown person in the dark at Buckingham Palace at 3 a.m. on an undisclosed day many years ago.

In the past, the 95-year-old queen was renowned for her love of lengthy walks in the garden, and she would frequently go for a stroll when she couldn’t sleep.

“Who’s that?” he said, believing he had caught an intruder entering the palace grounds.

But, to to his amazement, it was the Queen.

He replied, “‘Bloody hell, Your Majesty, I nearly shot you”

“That’s quite all right,” the Queen responded in her well-known humorous style, according to ‘The Times’ diary section.

“Next time I’ll ring through beforehand so you don’t have to shoot me.”

The incident is said to have occurred at Buckingham Palace, the Queen’s usual weekday home.

She isn’t the only member of the Royal Family to be mistaken for an invader.

Her younger son Prince Andrew was mistaken for an intruder as he strolled through the Buckingham Palace grounds in 2013 and was accosted by armed police.

Despite the palace having been subjected to numerous genuine security breaches in recent years, police claimed no weapons were drawn and apologized to the prince.

A 22-year-old man was detained in August 2016 after jumping over a security barrier just after 4 a.m.

Denis Hennessy, 41, went through barbed wire and walked freely on the royal grounds for ten minutes in May 2016, when the Queen, Prince Philip, and Prince Andrew were in residence, before being apprehended.

When officers found him, he constantly inquired, “Is Ma’am in?”

In 2013, a man climbed the gate and was discovered in one of the State Rooms around 10 p.m.

At the time, however, none of the royals were at home.

The Queen typically spends Monday through Friday in Buckingham Palace, with weekends spent at Windsor Castle.

The near-shooting news comes at a time when the public’s attention is focused on the Queen’s well-being.

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