Royal mourner tackled to the ground, arrested after he shoved girl, 7, out of the way to try and grab Queen's coffin

'(It was) terrible, absolutely terrible, so disrespectful and unbelievable,' one of the witnesses said

PUBLISHED SEP 17, 2022

A man was arrested after he tried to grab the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/The Daily Mail)

LONDON, ENGLAND: A man was arrested after he tried to grab Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin lying in state at Westminster Hall for the people to come and pay their final respects. The incident took place on Friday, September 16, leaving the mourners stunned. The man was tackled to the floor by the police at 10 pm at Westminster Hall.

According to The Daily Mail, it is believed that the man pushed through a queue of mourners that also included a seven-year-old girl. He rushed to the coffin and tried to lift the Royal Standard. The man is then thought to have put his hands on the Queen's casket. The before and after footage, as per the publication, showed that the Royal Standard, the official flag of the sovereign, had been moved. The shocking incident comes after King Charles along with his siblings, Princess Anne, Princes Andrew, and Edward, mounted their touching final vigil for the Queen before Her Majesty is laid to rest on Monday, September 19.

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A man was tackled to the ground and arrested after rushing the Queen’s coffin at Westminster Hall (The Daily Mail)

‘He was arrested for offense under the Public Order Act’

According to The Daily Mail, a spokesperson for the force asserted, “At 10 pm on Friday 16 September officers from the Met's Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.” The spokesperson continued, “He was arrested for an offense under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody.' A spokesperson for the UK Parliament further explained the situation saying, “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.

Reports suggest that cameras placed at the venue are delayed for around 30 seconds from the live streaming. They were quickly cut away from the coffin around 10 pm on Friday, instead showing a moving image of the outside of the Palace of Westminster. The cameras then did not turn back to the casket for the next 15 minutes. And it later appears a Royal Standard, the official flag of the sovereign, had been moved.

The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is carried into The Palace of Westminster by guardsmen from The Queen's Company, 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards during the procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II on September 14, 2022 in London, England. Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is taken in procession on a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where she will lay in state until the early morning of her funeral. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

‘It happened so fast’

One of the mourners, who witnessed the incident told The Sun, “It happened so fast. Someone got up to the coffin, grabbed the flag, and pulled it upwards.” The mourner added that people were “hysterically crying and shaking” after the incident.

Another witness told The Daily Mail, “We saw him 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” adding, “A lady screamed as it happened it was quite unnerving. Although he was detained and people kept calm and carried on.” Another witness identified as Tracey Holland revealed how the man pushed her seven-year-old niece Darcy to cut through the queue.

Procession with the coffin of Britain's Queen Elizabeth arrives at Westminster Hall from Buckingham Palace for her lying in state, on September 14, 2022 in London, United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II's coffin is taken in procession on a Gun Carriage of The King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall where she will lay in state until the early morning of her funeral. Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 8, 2022, and is succeeded by her eldest son, King Charles III. (Photo by Alkis Konstantinidis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The woman further shared, “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”, said Tracey Holland adding, “(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.”