Man arrested for operating up in the direction of Queen’s coffin in UK

A person has been arrested after operating in the direction of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, Lying-in-State at Westminster Hall in London as 1000’s of mourners file previous to pay their respects.

The man was arrested underneath the UK’s Public Order Act and brought into custody, Metropolitan Police stated. The incident occurred on Friday night time and eyewitnesses reported seeing the person “run up” in the direction of the raised platform on which the late monarch’s coffin is laid together with the Imperial crown and different regalia.

“Around 10pm on Friday 16 September, officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance,” the Met Police stated in a press release.

“He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody,” the assertion stated.

The stay video stream, which has been operating on the BBC all through because the Lying-in-State opened to the general public on Wednesday, was briefly paused in the course of the incident.

“We’re aware of an incident in Westminster Hall, in which a member of the public moved out of the queue and towards the catafalque (raised platform),” a Parliament spokesperson stated.

“They have now been removed from the hall and the queue restarted with minimal disruption,” the spokesperson stated.

It comes as the general public queue for the Lying-in-State has been operating to full capability, with a minimal of 16-hour wait occasions as individuals proceed to journey from completely different components of the UK to affix the mourners. Footballer David Beckham was amongst a number of the high-profile figures to affix the queue, which has been operating at over 8 kilometres alongside the River Thames.

On Friday, King Charles III was joined by his siblings – Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward – for a 15-minute vigil on the coffin. Their youngsters, the Queen’s grandchildren, will observe a vigil on Saturday.

William, Prince of Wales, will likely be joined on the vigil by brother Prince Harry and cousins Zara Tindall, Peter Philips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and Lady Louise Windsor and Viscount James Severn.

At Charles’ “request”, Prince Harry will put on navy uniform on the vigil, for the primary time since 2020. He has worn civilian garments at public occasions because the Queen died as he’s now not a working royal, having stepped again from frontline royal duties two years in the past when he moved to the US with spouse Meghan Markle.

The Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall till her state funeral at Westminster Abbey on Monday. The queue to see the coffin will shut on the morning of the funeral for preparation of the procession to convey the coffin a brief distance to the Abbey service.