Man arrested for rushing towards Queen Elizabeth II's coffin; video goes viral
The man was arrested and taken into custody under the UK's Public Order Act, according to Metropolitan Police. Witnesses reported seeing the man run up to the raised platform where the late monarch's coffin, along with the Imperial Crown, is laid on Friday night.
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FollowA man was arrested after running towards Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, lying-in-state at Westminster Hall in London, as thousands of mourners filed past to pay their respects.
According to Metropolitan Police, the man was arrested and taken into custody under the UK's Public Order Act. The incident occurred on Friday night, and witnesses reported seeing the man run up to the raised platform where the late monarch's coffin, along with the Imperial Crown, is laid.
According to a statement from the Met Police, "Officers from the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall at 10 pm on Friday, 16 September following a disturbance."
"He was arrested for a violation of the Public Order Act and is currently in custody," according to the statement.
The BBC's live video stream, which has been running since the Lying-in-State was opened to the public on Wednesday, was briefly halted during the incident.
A Parliament spokesperson said, "We're aware of an incident in Westminster Hall in which a public member moved out of the queue and towards the catafalque (raised platform)."
"They have now left the hall, and the queue has resumed with minimal interruption," said the spokesperson.
As people continue to travel from all over the UK to join the mourners, the public queue for the Lying-in-State has reached capacity, with minimum wait times of 16 hours. Footballer David Beckham was among those who joined the queue, which stretched for over 8 kilometres along the River Thames.
For a 15-minute vigil at the coffin on Friday, King Charles III was joined by his siblings, Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward. On Saturday, their grandchildren, the Queen's grandchildren, will hold a vigil.
At the vigil, William, Prince of Wales, will be joined by his brother, Prince Harry, and cousins Zara Tindall, Peter Philips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor, and Viscount James Severn.
Prince Harry will wear a military uniform to the vigil for the first time since 2020, at Charles' 'request.' He had worn civilian clothing at public events since the Queen's death because he is no longer a working royal, having retired from frontline royal duties two years ago when he moved to the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle.
The Queen will lay in state at Westminster Hall until her state funeral on Monday at Westminster Abbey. The line to see the coffin will close on the morning of the funeral to allow for the preparation of the procession that will transport the coffin a short distance to the Abbey service.
(With inputs from PTI)
Also read: US President Joe Biden to depart for UK to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral
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