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Following Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Sept. 8, 2022, a Friday evening vigil was held on Sept. 16 — and a man charged her coffin, lunging violently and attempting to grab it. In photos, which you can see HERE, the unidentified man was immediately tackled to the ground by police and arrested on the spot. Not only did the man attempt to grab Her Majesty’s coffin, but he also lifted the Royal Standard (the United Kingdom’s official flag), according to the outlet.
Onlookers were reportedly shocked and gasped at the disrespectful events that took place around 10 pm on Friday. The man also reportedly shoved a seven-year-old girl when he moved to grab the coffin. The girl’s aunt told The Daily Mail how she was affected by the incident. “A person decided they were going to push my seven-year-old niece out the way, run up to the coffin, lift up the standard and try to do I don’t know what. She was grabbed out the way and the police had him within two seconds,” Tracey Holland told the outlet. She added, “(It was) terrible, absolutely terrible, so disrespectful and unbelievable – and this poor little seven-year-old child, this is her lasting memory of the Queen.”
Sadly, Tracey and her niece were not the only two to witness the shocking events, as several other onlookers shared what they experienced, as well. “We saw him (the man) in the queue from the beginning of the queue and throughout the day, he was by himself. When we entered the room we were at the top of the stairs when we saw the incident,” the witness said. He added that, “a lady screamed as it happened it was quite unnerving. Although he was detained and people kept calm and carried on.”
Later that evening the Metropolitan Police confirmed to the outlet that the suspect had been arrested on “suspicion of a public order offence.” The suspect is also currently in custody following the disturbing incident that occurred among innocent civilians. Queen Elizabeth II’s remains have been at Westminster Hall since Sept. 14 for the public of the United Kingdom to be able to pay their respects to the late monarch. Members of the Royal Family have all been in attendance including Prince Harry, Prince William, Duchess of Sussex, and Catherine, the new Princess of Wales.
Celebrities also showed up to pay their respects and mourn the queen. Professional soccer player David Beckham, 47, waited in line for 13 hours to be able to see Her Majesty’s coffin and say goodbye to the Queen. He told iTV News about his experience waiting in line to pay his respects. “To be honest, it’s what we all envisioned, we all want to be here together, we all want to experience something where we celebrate the amazing life of our queen.” He added, “Something like this is meant to be shared together. You know, we’re eating Pringles. We’re eating Sherbet Lemons, sandwiches, and coffee.” In a clip shared by Sky News, the professional athlete appeared overcome with emotion, as he wiped away his tears.