King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort, had an un-eggs-pected incident happen at a recent appearance in York when a protestor launched eggs at the couple.
In a video captured by ITV, several eggs were seen narrowly missing the royals and their entourage as they greeted the public.
King Charles was seen having a conversation with a bystander outside Micklegate Bar, when the first egg whizzed past him and smashed onto the floor. A succession of eggs followed, as well as a loud chorus of boos from the crowd in response.
The unflappable royal simply glanced down at the eggshells on the floor before moving swiftly on, before speaking to two men dressed in suits who moved to shield the King and Queen Consort.
After the incident, members of the crowd were also heard chanting, “God save the King.”
WATCH: Here is the moment eggs were thrown at King Charles by a protestor in York as he and the Queen Consort arrived in the city this morning. 🎥 @itvnews pic.twitter.com/b82XQlQPZfNovember 9, 2022
According to local outlet The Northern Echo, the man who threw the eggs was heard to shout: “This country was built on the blood of slaves.”
Photos shared by the Press Association also showed the protestor being carried off by police officers, with the publication adding he was seen being restrained on the ground after the incident.
A number of anti-monarchy protestors have been arrested in recent months, especially following Queen Elizabeth’s passing. In September, protestors were seen holding up signs calling to abolish the monarchy and calling its treatment of Commonwealth countries imperialist, a sentiment which appeared to be shared by the egg thrower in York. Police also removed one protestor in September during the Queen’s funeral procession in Edinburgh, where a man yelled at Prince Andrew (who was part of the procession): “You’re a sick old man.”
A civil rights advocacy group called Liberty told CNN it was concerned about the arrests of anti-monarchy protestors, saying in September: “It is very worrying to see the police enforcing their broad powers in such a heavy-handed and punitive way to clamp down on free speech and expression.”
King Charles is no stranger to dealing with confrontations with members of the public, most notably in 1994 when an Australian man pulled a gun on him. The man, called David Kang, raced past security onstage where the then-Prince Charles was giving a speech and fired two blank shots from a starting pistol before being tackled to the ground by politicians and security and subsequently arrested. According to the Los Angeles Times, Kang had previously written to the King protesting the treatment of Cambodian refugees in Australia.
Videos of the 1994 incident have since resurfaced online in response to the egg throwing protest, praising the King for his calm reaction.
King Charles and the Queen Consort were in York yesterday to witness the unveiling of a new statue of his mother Queen Elizabeth.
