Does This Viral Video Really Show A Naked Man Escaping Through The Window Of Buckingham Palace?

A viral video appears to show a naked man trying to escape Buckingham Palace through a window using a bed sheet.

The 43-second video, posted Friday, shows tourists watching the Changing of the Guard — a Buckingham Palace tradition popular with London visitors. The camera then pans to a Buckingham Palace window, where a naked man can be seen trying to exit a window by crawling down a bed sheet, before losing his grip and falling 20 feet.

The video quickly went viral; as of this post, it’s gained over 661,000 views.

However, the Daily Mail makes a compelling case for why the Buckingham Palace video is almost certainly a hoax.

First, neither the soldiers nor anyone in the crowd pays the naked man any attention at all. An intruder on the grounds of the home of a head of state, such as Buckingham Palace, would certainly grab the attention of soldiers in the vicinity.

Second, the London police denied any knowledge of the naked man. Similarly, the London Ambulance Service declined treating anyone that day with injuries that would be sustained in a fall.

Third, and most tellingly, the video was posted by Anders Dahlberg, who the Daily Mail refers to as an “internet hoaxer” without providing any further details. Friday’s Buckingham Palace video appears to be the only video on Dahlberg’s YouTube account.

A fourth reason the Buckingham Palace video is likely a hoax — and a reason not mentioned by the Daily Mail — is this: Given the exceptionally tight security around the homes of heads of state, such as Buckingham Palace, it’s almost impossible for someone who shouldn’t be there to get anywhere near the place. Unless it’s the White House in Washington, that is.

Do you believe the Buckingham Palace video is a hoax? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.

[Image courtesy of: New York Daily News]