A 22-year-old man has been charged with breaching the peace after a spectator heckled the disgraced Duke of York as he solemnly marched with King Charles III behind the Queen’s coffin in Edinburgh yesterday, Police Scotland have confirmed today.
Video showed a man shouting at shamed Prince Andrew as his mother’s hearse slowly made its way up the Royal Mile in Scotland’s capital to St Giles’ Cathedral, where the late monarch is lying in state until it is flown to London later this afternoon.
Footage then showed the heckler being shoved to the ground by angry mourners as others in the crowd continue to shout ‘God Save the King’. The youngster was then helped up and pulled away by a police officers, as those grieving the late Queen continued to push him. He was then dragged away from the road he yelled ‘disgusting’ and ‘I’ve done nothing wrong’.
The arrest was the latest in a string of incidents involving anti-monarchy protesters since the Queen’s death that has sparked fears among civil liberty campaigners that the ‘heavy-handed’ police response could have a chilling effect on free speech.
In Edinburgh on Sunday, a woman, 22, who had been seen holding a sign that said ‘F**k imperialism, abolish monarchy’ during the accession proclamation for the King was charged in connection with a breach of the peace and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.
Meanwhile in Oxford, a 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of ‘disorderly behaviour’ after shouting ‘Who elected him?’ as Charles was proclaimed King. He was later de-arrested, Thames Valley Police said.
And in London, a woman holding a sign bearing the message ‘Not my King’ outside the Palace of Westminster on Monday appeared to be moved on by police before the arrival of King Charles III – while another man in the same location tweeted footage of police asking him for details after he held up a blank piece of paper. Neither was arrested.
Video showed a man shouting at shamed Prince Andrew as his mother’s hearse slowly made its way up the Royal Mile in Scotland’s capital to St Giles’ Cathedral. Footage then showed the heckler being shoved to the ground by angry mourners as others in the crowd continue to shout ‘God Save the King’
Andrew wore a morning suit for yesterday’s occasion. He is pictured alongside King Charles III, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex
The Duke of York was shouted at by a protester as the funeral procession passed by
Andrew (second from right) with King Charles, Princess Anne and the Earl of Wessex on the streets of Edinburgh yesterday
Led by a lone piper playing a lament, Her Majesty was carried from the Palace of Holyroodhouse where she was lying in rest since a six-hour journey from her Aberdeenshire castle yesterday. Andrew is seen towards the rear of the procession
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘A 22-year old man was arrested and charged in connection with a breach of the peace on the Royal Mile around 2.50pm on Monday, 12 September 2022.
‘He was released on an undertaking to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.’
Andrew, a Falklands War veteran who was exiled from public life amid the fallout from his role in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, was not allowed to wear military dress for the occasion and instead wore a morning suit.
The prince will have to appear in civilian clothes at all the other public events to mourn his mother, although an exception will reportedly be made as a special mark of respect for the Queen at the final vigil in Westminster Hall.
However, Meghan Markle’s friend and preferred journalist Omid Scobie claimed that Prince Harry – who has also seen military action by serving two tours of Afghanistan – has been banned from wearing his uniform at all.
‘I understand that, unlike Prince Andrew, Prince Harry will NOT be allowed to wear uniform at the final vigil in Westminster Hall. No doubt a huge blow for the Duke of Sussex, who served for 10 years and this morning spoke of the Queen being his ”commander-in-chief”’, he tweeted yesterday.
‘I understand that, unlike Prince Andrew, Prince Harry will NOT be allowed to wear uniform at the final vigil in Westminster Hall. No doubt a huge blow for the Duke of Sussex, who served for 10 years and this morning spoke of the Queen being his ”commander-in-chief”’, he tweeted yesterday.
Andrew gave up his HRH status and was stripped of all his honorary military roles, including Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, over his friendship with Epstein and allegations made by one of the paedophile’s ‘sex slaves’ Virginia Roberts that the royal sexually abused her when she was a minor under American law – claims that culminated in a bombshell US lawsuit and a multimillion-pound out of court settlement with no admission of liability. The Duke of York has consistently denied the allegations.
Harry and Meghan were also stripped of their titles after they quit royal duties and left the UK for California.
The ensuing Megxit saga, which has seen the Duke and Duchess of Sussex make a series of astonishing allegations against The Firm including claims of racism against Meghan and her unborn son Archie by an unnamed senior royal, has sparked a civil war in the House of Windsor and plunged the monarchy into one of its most severe crises.
Yesterday, Andrew walked with his siblings as Her Majesty was carried from the Palace of Holyroodhouse where she was lying in rest since a six-hour journey from Balmoral Castle.
Prince Andrew walks behind the cortege. He wore medals but not military dress like his siblings. He was heckled by one man in the crowd
The Queen’s children follow their mother along the 1,200-yard route to the church
Prince Andrew and King Charles follows the hearse carrying the coffin of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth on the Royal Mile
The Queen’s casket was draped with the Royal Standard in Scotland and dressed with a wreath of flowers consisting of white Spray Roses, white Freesias, white button chrysanthemums, dried white heather from Balmoral, spray eryngium, foliage, rosemary, hebe, and pittosporum.
As the national anthem played the coffin was gently lowered into the hearse. Bagpipes played the National Anthem from Holyrood Palace as the Queen’s coffin cortege began the walk up the Royal Mile.
The hearse was flanked by a Bearer Party found by The Royal Regiment of Scotland and The King’s Body Guard for Scotland. Mounted police in ceremonial dress rode ahead of the parade.
King Charles walked solemnly in step with his brothers and sister behind his beloved mother. The assembled well-wishers fell silent as the hearse appeared.
The crowd then broke out in spontaneous applause as the cortège approached and many shouted God Save the King and God Save the Queen.
Around 30 minutes later the Queen arrived at St Giles’ Cathedral where the Crown of Scotland was placed upon the coffin. After the service, members of the public will be allowed to file past to pay their respects for 24 hours before Her Majesty is moved to London by plane.
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