The man managed to climb the steps where the coffin is placed and touch it before being arrested. A scene that shocked the British.
The calm surrounding the Queen’s coffin in the Palace of Westminster has been disturbed. On Friday night, a man crossed the security line erected around the catafalque, climbed the four steps leading to the oak coffin in which Elizabeth II rests and managed to touch it, the Guardian reports. The person was quickly overpowered by security forces and then arrested.
“The Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Squad have arrested a man at Westminster Hall following a disturbance. He was taken into custody,” said Scotland Yard, a police unit in London.
“Absolutely disrespectful”
The incident happened around 10pm local time (11pm in France) as thousands of Brits waited in line to gather for a few seconds in front of the Queen’s coffin. Their retreat is being broadcast live on English channels but the fleeting intrusion temporarily disrupted the broadcast.
“It’s unbelievable, horrible, absolutely disrespectful,” a woman who was waiting in line with her 7-year-old niece told News Sky. She claims that the little girl was bumped into by the man as he rushed towards the catafalque.
Since Wednesday, tens of thousands of Britons have marched to give a final salute to their Queen, who is in Westminster Hall, Parliament’s oldest chamber. After a final procession, Elizabeth II will be buried privately next to her father, King George VI, in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle on Monday. and her husband Prince Philip.