Man Found On Fire Outside Kensington Palace

A man who was found on fire outside Kensington Palace has died, police say.

Police were called to the palace, which is the London home of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, just after 3am this morning.

Just three hours earlier, they had been contacted by a central London hospital concerned that a man in their care had gone missing.

When they reached the palace, they found a man on fire and, despite the efforts of firefighters and ambulance crews, he was pronounced dead at around 3.42am.

It is understood police are not treating the incident as suspicious and that no-one else is thought to have been involved.

A Met Police spokesman confirmed police had been contacted by the hospital before they found the man at the palace.

They added: "Police carried out inquiries to trace this missing man at his home address and two associated addresses but the man, aged in his forties, was not present.

"Subsequently, police in Kensington and Chelsea were called to an area near the locked parks of Kensington Palace at 3.06am following reports of a man behaving suspiciously.

"Officers attended and found a man, believed to be aged in his forties, ablaze.

"Inquiries are ongoing. This incident is not being treated as terrorist-related."

A spokesman for the royal family said the Duke and Duchess were not at the palace at the time.

It is believed they were in Norfolk, where they have another residence - Anmer Hall.

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