A man was arrested for allegedly throwing eggs at King Charles and Camila on Wednesday. The King and Queen consort were walking near Micklegate Bar, in York, Yorkshire, when a lone attacker started pelting eggs at them. The King and Queen Consort are in Yorkshire where they will unveil a statue of his late mother, the Queen.
A video of the incident, posted on social media, shows at least one egg landing on the road. Luckily, none of the eggs pelted struck Charles. Police officers and royal security staff rushed to the scene and, in footage from the incident, can be seen tackling a man in the crowd.
Charles Under Attack
City officials were welcoming the king and queen consort to York when a protester allegedly hurled three eggs at them. All of the eggs appeared to miss, and the couple was then led away. A video of the incident shows four police officers arresting the man as he shouted, “This country was created on the blood of slaves!”
Cries of “shame on you” at him and “God save the King” then broke out by angry members of the crowd. Others near the incident held Union Jack flags aloft as the scuffle ensued.
Then, as officers led the man to a police van, the King and Queen Consort were whisked out of the room. Rebecca English, Royal Editor at the Daily Mail, wrote on Twitter: “Major incident here in York as a lone protestor tries to throw an egg at the king screaming that the country was built on the blood of slavery.
“He is bundled to the ground,” the tweet read.
The identity of the man or the reason behind his protest is still not known.
Charles and Camilla will be in Yorkshire on Wednesday for a series of events. They were in York to attend the unveiling of Queen Elizabeth II’s first statue following her death.
Embarrassing Moment
Photos and videos from the scene show six police officers surrounding a man who is lying on the ground amid a mob of people welcoming the King and Queen Consort at the event where the king is often greeted to the city.
Charles has been on a business trip for two days, stopping in at Bradford and Leeds on Tuesday, York and Doncaster on Wednesday. Camilla joined him on the second day.
Hundreds of well-wishers and the band The York Waits had gathered in downtown York to welcome the royal couple when this interruption occurred.
Speaking ahead of their arrival, Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell said this would mark a “very significant moment” in the history of the city and the nation.
He told The York Press: “It is a really good thing for York that he (the King) will be here. It is a very significant moment, and very exciting.”
Charles has previously been the target of protesters all around the world, but this is the first time in a while that he has found himself bearing the brunt of the outrage of the general population.
A Latvian schoolgirl protested the war in Afghanistan in 2001 by slapping the Prince of Wales across the cheek with a flower.
And in 2005, a woman in the New Zealand capital’s walkabout revealed “get your colony shame off my breasts” inscribed over her body by removing her blouse.