Alexander Law is living in a churchyard

FOR 20 years Alexander Law worked as a roofer at Buckingham Palace where he said he used to shoot the breeze with Princess Di over tea and biscuits.

But at the age of 75 he has become street homeless and sleeps under a bench covered by a tarpaulin.

Mr Law is desperately trying to get a one-way train back to his home city of Glasgow tomorrow, Saturday.

He said: “It will be a year ago today when my brother’s body was transported back to Glasgow after he died.

“All I want to do is go back Saturday night, the same day he travelled, so that I know I’m travelling with his spirit. All my family is buried, one-by-one next to each other, at Craigton Cemetery.”

Mr Law said that, despite retiring 15 years ago, he was hoping to get back to work one day.

He said: “I used to do the roof on Buckingham Palace and other big estates depending where the work came in. I was releading the roof and doing the leaks. Some parts have slate but most of it is all lead.

“Diana always brought me tea up, and biscuits. She’d sit and talk with me and tell me stories about the royal family.

“The money was good. I miss it. I miss being up there and there were funny moments. The Queen would be out on the balcony and I was right above her on the roof, all the crowd was waving. That was funny – you’d think, ‘Are they waving at her or at me because I’m a good roofer?’”

Mr Law believes he will be better helped by social services in Glasgow.

“I came down here in January,” he said. “I was staying on Regent’s Canal, that’s where I bathe at 1am when there’s nobody about.

“I need to go back home, I’ve had enough of this, it’s too much. Every Monday I get £227.

“I keep it on me and I buy what I think I need to last me a week.

“Last week I went to the shop to get a cup of tea and I came back and my blanket was gone.

“They were emptying a house down the road and this sheet of plastic was outside and I’ve been sleeping under it ever since.

“My case of clothes was also stolen three weeks ago. I can’t believe this, people stealing off each other.”

Mr Law asked Camden Council for the past three months to help him get a ticket.

He said he was also promised a stay in a hotel, but every weekend he is back sleeping on the same bench under tarpaulin.

He added: “I want a train ticket to go home, that’s all I want. It’s very hard and I’m feeling the cold now.”

Around 12 per cent of rough sleepers are over the age of 55.

In March 2024 nearly 3,500 over-65s were living in temporary accommodation.

A Camden spokesperson said: “No one should be sleeping rough and we are doing everything we can to support Mr Law into safe accommodation.

“This includes providing multi-agency support, including health and wellbeing support and a social worker as well as offering temporary accommodation which is available.

“We are also supporting Mr Law with his housing request, ensuring he continues to receive the support he needs.”