Man who called Prince Andrew 'a sick old man' during coffin procession is arrested

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By stefan armitage

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A man who heckled the Duke of York during Monday's coffin procession for the late Queen Elizabeth II has been arrested.

On Monday afternoon, 62-year-old Prince Andrew joined his siblings - Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and the new monarch King Charles III - as the four walked behind a hearse carrying their late mother's oak coffin.

The Royals were walking as part of a procession that saw the late queen's coffin transported from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, down Edinburgh's Royal Mile, and to St Giles' Cathedral.

Thousands of members of the public had turned out to pay their respects.

However, during the procession, one man started to shout from the quiet crowd. Per the Metro and Daily Beast, the man could be heard shouting "Andrew, you’re a sick old man".

The moment was captured by BBC News' live coverage of the procession and didn't go unnoticed by viewers, with many taking to social media to share the moment.

While shouting, the unknown man could then be seen being pulled out of the crowd.

Holyrood Magazine editor Christopher Marshall then shared a video that appeared to show the aftermath of the incident:

Another video (seen below), shared by NBC News reporter Alexander Smith, shows the surrounding crowd attempting to drown out the man's heckles by chanting, "God save the King!"

In both videos, a police officer can be seen picking the man up off the ground and leading him away. He then shouts: "Disgusting!"

Now, The Independent has reported that police have confirmed that the unnamed man was arrested

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "A 22-year-old man was arrested in connection with a breach of the peace on the Royal Mile around 2.50pm on Monday, 12 September 2022."

While some social media users have found humor in the moment, many others agreed that it was not the time nor the place to heckle the prince.

"I think, in this situation, TOTALLY inappropriate. The man has just lost his mother," one Twitter user wrote.

A second added: "Regardless what this man has done, have a little respect for his mother."

Featured image credit: Arch White / Alamy