Man Accused of ‘Threatening Behavior’ Following the Egg-throwing Incident

A 23-year-old York resident was accused of “threatening behavior” for hurling eggs at King Charles III. The student, Patrick Thelwell, will stand before York Magistrates’ Court on January 20 next year. When the King and his wife, the Queen Consort, arrived in the city, a person in the crowd started throwing eggs, but all four missed them. Each of the eggs fell by the King’s feet, but he appeared unfazed and continued to greet and shake hands with the villagers. As several eggs flew past Charles and Camilla, landing on the street, a passerby could be heard exclaiming, ‘Woah!’ when the TV cameras caught the moment.

After being ushered forward, Charles was overheard on an ITV microphone stating, “out of the way, right,” followed by the question, “is he here?” while turning to face the protester. Charles and Camilla visited York as part of a tour of official engagements around the United Kingdom to celebrate the coronation of the new King. They also went to York Minster, the city’s cathedral, where they unveiled a statue of Queen Elizabeth, who passed away in September after spending 70 years as monarch. Global leaders recognized the Queen’s contribution to the world over her seven decades of reign. The country said goodbye to the monarch, who died on September 19, with a state funeral. According to the head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, Nick Price, ‘Patrick Thelwell will face charges from North Yorkshire police for threatening behavior in violation of Section 4 of the Public Order Act of 1986.’

According to the CPS, police currently have custody of Patrick Thelwell, and proceedings against him are still active. However, the Crown Prosecution Service also reminded everyone that he has a right to a fair trial. Since 2019, for the first time, the royals will spend the holiday season at the late Queen’s former Norfolk estate. Buckingham Palace also stated that the King and the Queen Consort, along with the Members of the Royal Family, will attend the Morning Service on Christmas Day, December 25 (Sunday), at Sandringham Church. The Prince and Princess of Wales and their kids, Princess Royal and her family, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and their kids, and other royal families are most likely to join Charles and Camilla. Prince Andrew might join them for a public appearance, but it remains unclear. Thelwell was detained on suspicion of a public order offense and released later that day when several eggs landed close to the King as he was touring central York.

Under the sentencing guidelines, he may spend up to six months in jail if found guilty. The university student was still free on bail, but one of the terms of his temporary release was that he was not allowed to take eggs outside of grocery stores. The CPS stated that there are limitations on what can be revealed in an ongoing criminal prosecution in the UK. There must be no online reporting, criticism, or information sharing that could jeopardize these proceedings. Following the demise of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September, Charles, 74, ascended to the throne. After a state funeral and ten days of national mourning, she was buried. However, several people objected to the monarchy’s hereditary system, in which Charles succeeded his father as ruler.

It’s not the first time that egg protests affected the royal family. Anti-British demonstrators threw eggs at Charles in central Dublin in 1995 as the King was on a walkabout. In 2002, when Elizabeth visited Nottingham, central England, protestors threw eggs at her royal car. In addition, a popular video did the rounds on the web in November, showing a woman confronting Kate Middleton and saying, ‘Ireland belongs to the Irish.’ Furthermore, a heckler called Prince Andrew “a sick old guy” in September during the Queen Elizabeth II funeral procession. This latest incident occurs as the royal family faces another challenge: a Netflix documentary series about Prince Harry, the King’s youngest son, and his wife, Meghan.