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Buckingham brawl: Palace staffer arrested for drunken fight at Christmas party

FILE - Buckingham Palace is lit up with artwork around the holiday season. Steve Finn / Getty Images

It sounds like things went from festive to feisty at an informal party among Buckingham Palace staffers this week, with a maid for the royal residence reportedly arrested for her role in what’s been described as a “bar brawl.”

London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed that they were called to a bar in Central London Tuesday evening and asked to diffuse a situation that had turned violent.

A 24-year-old woman, a member of the Royal Family household staff, was arrested on suspicion of common assault, criminal damage and being drunk and disorderly, police said.

According to The Sun newspaper, which first reported the incident, the woman is believed to be a maid at the palace and was enjoying a night off work with around 50 of her co-workers.

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A palace spokesperson told the BBC that the group had moved their party to the bar after attending “an early evening reception at the Palace.

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“While this was an informal social gathering, not an official Palace Christmas party, the facts will be fully investigated, with a robust disciplinary process followed in relation to individual staff and appropriate action taken.”

Police said they received reports that a customer was causing a ruckus in the drinking establishment and “had smashed glasses and attempted to assault a member of staff.”

According to People magazine, the police department would not confirm the identity nor profession of the person arrested.

One eyewitness told The Sun that the woman’s actions were unlike anything they’d ever witnessed at a bar. “I’ve never seen one person get that crazy during a night out. She was on another level,” the eyewitness said.

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