UNITED KINGDOM: King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, were pelted with eggs by a man during their visit to York as they attended an engagement in Northern England on Wednesday.
The man shouted, “This country was built on the blood of slaves!” and threw at least three eggs; thankfully, he missed his target and was swiftly detained by police as throngs gathered at Micklegate Bar, the traditional royal entrance into the city, to greet the couple.
Later, the protestor was confirmed as a British student.
A video is circulating on social media regarding the incident, in which four eggs are seen flying past the British King Charles lll and his wife as they arrived in York for a customary ceremony and crashing to the ground. They continued their interaction without seeming to be affected by the encounter.
A protester yelling slogans was dragged away by police as they rushed the scene. Many people in the crowd booed him and shouted, “God save the king.”
Following an altercation on Micklegate in York, a 23-year-old male was detained on suspicion of a public order offence, according to a statement from police. “He currently remains in police custody.”
It was later revealed that the 23-year-old protestor was Patrick Thelwell, a student at the University of York.
The university expressed its “appal” at the photographs and stated it would be evaluating the incident under its misconduct policies.
Charles, who succeeded to the throne in September after his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died, is currently on a two-day tour of northern England.
Later, he dedicated a statue to his late mother at York, which had been intended to commemorate her 70th year as monarch.
“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 egg-tossing incident on Wednesday was not the royal’s first brush with controversy.
During Queen Elizabeth’s royal visit to New Zealand in 1986, a woman protesting Britain’s pact with the Maori tribes threw an egg at the queen, striking her with it. The egg flowed down the pink coat of the queen, who was riding in an open vehicle.
On Wednesday, the day of the egg-throwing incident, “The Crown’s” fifth season premieres on Netflix. Charles, who is still in his early reign, finds the situation worrisome. This television show takes place in the 1990s and revisits his divorce from Princess Diana.
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