Following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II last week, the late monarch’s casket has been lying in state at Westminster Abbey this weekend so that members of the public can pay their respects to the beloved British royal. Thousands upon thousands of people have descended upon the English capital to get the chance to honor Her Majesty, including David Beckham. Despite the solemnity of the occasion, things have turned scandalous thanks to the shocking actions of one rogue mourner.
An unknown man has reportedly been arrested by London constabulary after breaking away from the crowd and climbing the catafalque upon which the Queen’s casket has been laid, apparently in an attempt to touch the coffin. Naturally, the guards positioned around the funeral display were able to apprehend and remove him from the premises, although the event still left those in the vicinity shaken.
One eye witness revealed her side of the story to The Guardian, alleging that the errant individual “push[ed]” her seven-year-old daughter out of the way as he “ran up to the Queen’s coffin, lift up the standards and [tried] to do…God knows what.” The witness added that her daughter was “grabbed out of the way and the police had him within two seconds.”
The woman goes on to explain that she and her daughter had been “queuing up for 15 hours” before finally entering the Abbey, only to have their experience interrupted by this incident. At the time of her interview, the witness was attempting to get the two of them back inside so that they might “go around again, respectfully.”
The Queen’s casket will continue lying in state until 6:30 a.m. on Sept. 19, ahead of Her Majesty’s funeral later that day.
