File photo of Buckingham Palace. (Thinkstock)
Scotland Yard arrested two men who scaled the roof of a building at Buckingham Palace in a protest over fathers' rights.
Martin Matthews, 48, and Bobby Smith, 33, used a ladder yesterday evening to gain access to the Queen's Gallery, which forms part of the palace complex open to the public in central London.
It is understood that Queen Elizabeth II and husband Prince Philip were not at the palace.
"Officers attended and two males were found to have climbed on to the roof of the entrance at the location. At approximately 23:00 hrs (on Sunday), the two came down from the building of their own accord," a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.
The men sat on a roof about 18 feet high at the entrance of the public art gallery, which is located on a road to the side of the main gate to Buckingham Palace.
Two police officers, one armed, stood on an adjacent roof a few feet away, while a number of others were on the road.
One of the men held a banner reading: "I'm Harry's dad. Stop the war on dads". Mr Matthews said "even if I had taken a bullet, it would have been worth the risk".
The protesters' spokesperson said the demonstration was part of a campaign by the groups New Fathers 4 Justice and Stop The War On Dads.
They were campaigning over rights for fathers in divorce and separation proceedings and the reform of the family courts.
The two men were later arrested on suspicion of trespassing on a protected site, Metropolitan police said.