A Protester Was Arrested At The Queen's Procession After Harassing Prince Andrew
Thousands of people lined the streets of Scotland to see Queen Elizabeth II's coffin. As the funeral cortege progressed along the Royal Mile to St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, walking behind the hearse were all four of the queen's children: King Charles III; Anne, Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, Duke of York; and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
According to The Telegraph, a protester shouted at Prince Andrew, "You're a sick old man," during the procession. Members of the public shoved the heckler and yelled at him. Later, Police Scotland reported that they had arrested the 22-year-old man. A journalist recorded the aftermath of the incident and shared the footage on Twitter. Another journalist shared a video of the arrested man, who said, "Powerful men shouldn't be allowed to commit sexual crimes and get away with it." Ever since the incident, #PrinceAndrew has been trending on social media.
Prince Andrew has been plagued by scandal in recent years after being associated with notorious sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The Duke of York has been mired in lawsuits, and he was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages (per Bloomberg). There is now widespread speculation that the queen's funeral on September 19 could be the last of Andrew's public appearances.
News outlets are reporting on the recent increase in the number of arrests of anti-royal protesters expressing sentiments such as "Not my king" and "Abolish monarchy" (per NPR). The Guardian notes that peaceful protest is a right in the United Kingdom.