Armed police tonight tackled a man who tried to grab the Queen’s coffin after pushing his way through crowds of mourners.
Armed officers arrested the man after the incident, which took place at around 10pm at Westminster Hall, where the Queen is in state.
The man is believed to have pushed mourners out of the way, rushed to the coffin and tried to raise the flag before touching the Queen’s casket.
Images before and after the incident show that the royal standard, the sovereign’s flag, has been moved.
Mourners were said to be in shock during the incident, which came just hours after King Charles and his family held a vigil in honor of the Queen.
Alongside siblings Anne, Andrew and Edward, the newly crowned monarch stood guard at his mother’s coffin.
Police have tackled a man on the floor after he appeared to run towards the Queen’s coffin. Officers arrested the man after the incident, which happened at around 10pm at Westminster Hall (pictured: The Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall today)
Mourners were said to be in shock during the incident, which came just hours after King Charles and his family held a vigil in honor of the Queen. Alongside siblings Anne, Andrew and Edward, the newly crowned monarch stood guard at his mother’s coffin (pictured)
The Metropolitan Police confirmed tonight that a man has been arrested on suspicion of a crime against public order.
What military uniforms did the Queen’s four sons wear to the vigil?
King Charles
Dressed in the Navy Admiral’s uniform
Princess Anna, the royal princess
Dressed in a blue and royal colonel’s uniform
Prince Andrew, Duke of York
Dressed in a Navy Vice Admiral uniform
Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex
Dressed in uniform as a Royal Honorary Colonel of the Royal Wessex Yeomanry (RWxY).
A force spokesman said: “At 10am on Friday 16 September, officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command arrested a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.
“He was arrested for an offense under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody.”
The Queen lying in state has been covered by live BBC coverage 24 hours a day since the coffin arrived on Wednesday.
But the cameras, which are delayed by around 30 seconds, were quickly cut from the coffin at around 10pm today.
It comes after King Charles and his siblings Princess Anne and Princes Andrew and Edward held their emotional final vigil for the Queen on Friday before the late monarch was laid to rest on Monday.
As mourners looked on, the Queen’s four children watched over their mother’s coffin for more than 10 minutes at Westminster Hall tonight. Each of the brothers guarded one side of the coffin, with Charles, dressed in a Navy admiral’s uniform, leading the way.
It was his second, and last, vigil for the beloved monarch. Known as ‘Children’s Eve’, an honor dating back to the time of George V, it mirrors an earlier event held earlier this week at St Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh.
However, unlike the previous vigil where Charles donned a kilt and Andrew a morning suit, the four brothers were dressed in military colors tonight.
The man is believed to have pushed mourners out of the way, rushed to the coffin and attempted to raise the royal banner before touching the Queen’s casket. Pictured: The Royal Standard appears to have moved from position following the incident at 10pm
The Duke of York, who was stripped of his armed forces patronage earlier this year amid a US sex abuse lawsuit, allegations he has denied, had previously been banned from wearing military colors at public events.
But the 62-year-old royal pariah was given a special dispensation to wear uniform to the vigil, as a “final mark of respect” for his mother.
He wore the full military uniform of a Navy Vice Admiral, a title he earned for his years of service in the Navy, including the Falklands War.
Members of the Royal Family including James, Viscount Severn, Lady Louise Windsor, Countess of Wessex, Jack Brooksbank, The Queen Consort, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Zara Tindall, Mike Tindall, Duke of Kent, Mia and Lena Tindall , the Duchess of Gloucester and the Earl and Countess of St Andrews are attending tonight’s vigil.
On Saturday, the Queen’s eight grandchildren will hold a similar vigil at Westminster Hall. Prince Harry, who has also been banned from wearing military uniform as part of his ‘Megxit’ deal after stepping back from front-line royal duties in 2020, will also have a special dispensation to wear his army colors to the event.
Harry will join his brother Prince William, along with Zara Tindall, Peter Philips, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Lady Louise Windsor and James Viscount Severn at the event on Saturday night.
It came as organizers warned that waiting times to see the Queen while in state at Westminster Hall had stretched to 24 hours.
At one point the tail grew so long that there were two tails just to join the real tail. However, estimates at the back of the queue, stretching back to Southwark Park tonight, suggest the waiting time is currently 14 hours.