A man rushed towards the coffin of the Queen and grabbed the flag on top of it on Friday night, reports claim.
Metropolitan Police confirmed a man was arrested for a “disturbance” around 10pm in Westminster Hall yesterday (September 16) evening.
Queuing mourners were left shocked after the alleged perpetrator reportedly ‘bolted up’ the catafalque platform stairs and “grabbed the Royal Standard with both hands”.
The late Queen Elizabeth II is lying in state in Westminster Hall until her funeral on Monday (September 19).
‘Man grabs Queen’s coffin’
The incident came after King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward performed the second Vigil of the Princes.
The King and his siblings stood guard over the Queen’s coffin for 15 minutes, as they did earlier in the week in Edinburgh.
However, within hours, the moving ceremony was overshadowed by the disruption which left some mourners ‘upset’.
Reports claim the man was wrestled to the ground by police as more officers rushed to assist.
And livestream coverage of the lying in state was cut for about a quarter of an hour.
‘So disrespectful and unbelievable’
Confused mourners told The Sun they initially thought the commotion was due to someone fainting.
“Someone got up to the coffin, grabbed the flag and pulled it upwards,” they told the tabloid.
“They picked up the bottom and wafted it, almost to see what was underneath. It happened so fast.”
Someone got up to the Queen’s coffin, grabbed the flag and pulled it upwards.
Someone else said the unsettling moment left others “hysterically crying” and “shaking”.
And another witness indicated their young niece was caught up in the incident. They said she was ‘pushed out of the way’.
They also claimed police were on top of the man “within two seconds”.
The unhappy observer added: “Terrible, absolutely terrible, so disrespectful and unbelievable. And this poor little seven-year-old child, this is her lasting memory of the Queen.”
Police statement
A man was arrested for a Public Order offence, Metropolitan Police confirmed.
A spokesman said: “At around 22:00hrs on Friday 16 September officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.
“He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody.”
A Parliament spokesperson said: “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.”
“They have now been removed from the hall and the queue restarted with minimal disruption.”
Read more: Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield pay respects to Queen as they visit Lying-in-State
Leave us a comment on our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix and let us know what you think of this story.