Protester Arrested For Throwing Eggs At King Charles During Ceremony

A man was detained by the UK police on Wednesday after eggs were thrown at King Charles III and Camilla, his wife and queen consort, as they carried out an engagement in northern England.

Footage on social media showed four eggs flying past the British monarch and his wife and smashing on the ground as they arrived for a traditional ceremony in York. They appeared to be unmoved by the incident and carried on with the engagement.

Reuters reports that police officers rushed in to drag away the protester who was shouting slogans. However, others in the crowd jeered him, and chanted: “God save the king”.

“A 23-year-old man was arrested on a suspicion of a public order offence following an incident on Micklegate in York,” police said in a statement. “He currently remains in police custody.”

Charles, who came to the throne in September after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth, is on a two-day tour of northern England. He later unveiled a statue of his late mother in York which had been planned to mark her 70th year on the throne.

“Now, as we have witnessed, with great sadness, the passing of that reign, it is unveiled in her memory, as a tribute to a life of extraordinary service and devotion,” he said.

The incident in York was not the first time royals have faced such a protest. Eggs were also thrown at Elizabeth’s royal car in 2022 when she visited Nottingham, central England, and anti-British protesters threw eggs at Charles during a walkabout in central Dublin in 1995.

Another source report that The royal couple were greeting crowds and entering York through Micklegate Bar, a medieval gateway that serves as the traditional royal entrance to the city, when video footage showed several eggs zipping by their heads.

Several police officers could be seen grappling with a man at a crowd barrier. Britain’s PA news agency reported that he booed and shouted, “This country was built on the blood of slaves,” as he was being detained.

Other members of the crowd tried to drown him out by chanting “Shame on you” and “God save the King.”

The suspect was later carried away in handcuffs by police who put him in the back of a police van.

Charles and Camilla were ushered away from the scene and continued greeting crowds as part of an official ceremony in which the British monarch is welcomed into the city of York by its Lord Mayor. The last time the ceremony took place was in 2012, carried out by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

At least one of the eggs thrown at the royal couple appeared to have been deflected by the sheriff of York, Suzie Mercer, who was standing near the King during the incident.

Charles and Camilla traveled to York as part of a series of engagements around the U.K. marking the start of the new king’s reign. They also visited the city’s cathedral, York Minster, and unveiled a statue of Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September after 70 years on the throne.