During a visit to York, an Extinction Rebellion activist threw eggs at King Charles as he walked with Queen Consort Camilla Parker-Bowles — but Charles refused to give the activist the satisfaction of reacting to his antics, completely ignoring the eggs sailing past him.
The activist — who was later identified as Patrick Thelwell, a former Green Party candidate — threw several eggs at the royals near Micklegate Bar, the traditional royal entrance to the city, shouting: “This country was built on the blood of slaves.”
Charles appeared not to even acknowledge the commotion as the events were happening. Instead, he briefly looked down to see what had happened, then stepped over the cracked eggs that had landed on the pavement near his feet. The king then continued to greet onlookers.
A man has been detained by police after appearing to throw eggs at the King and Queen Consort in York.
Read more: https://t.co/D5u1c5OAdO pic.twitter.com/pF0FXq4oiU
— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) November 9, 2022
Thelwell was immediately detained by police officers, who tackled him to the ground and arrested him behind the temporary fencing that had been set up to line the street ahead of the royals’ visit.
The protester was restrained as crowds gathered at Micklegate Bar, the traditional royal entrance into the city, to greet the couple.https://t.co/JQm8iHFUWQ
— BBC Yorkshire (@BBCLookNorth) November 9, 2022
The people gathered in the area appeared to side with Charles over the activist, breaking out into a chant of “God save the king” as he continued to engage with the crowd.
King Charles and his Queen Consort were visiting York as part of a celebration for the unveiling of a statue of Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96. The statue of Elizabeth was actually completed roughly one month before her death.
“The late Queen was always vigilant for the welfare of her people during her life. Now her image will watch over what will become Queen Elizabeth Square for centuries to come,” the king said of the statue.
This was not the first time Charles was calm in the face of an attack. In 1994, during an Australia Day celebration in Sydney, a young man fired two blank shots and then charged at then-Prince Charles while he was walking toward the center of the stage to give a speech.
While nearly a dozen men — including the premier of New South Wales — rushed to tackle the shooter, taking him to the ground and detaining him, Charles simply watched the situation from just a few feet away while calmly adjusting his cufflinks.
