On Wednesday, when eggs were hurled at King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla, he displayed his unflappable side.
While the pair was on a walkabout in York, many eggs came within a few inches of them, but The King, 73, didn’t seem alarmed. When the eggs were hurled, the pair was at the Micklegate Bar, a famous entrance in the city in northern England where the monarch usually arrives.
Four police officers apprehended a demonstrator who shouted, “This country was created on the blood of slaves,” according to the Northern Echo.
One egg flew passed King Charles’ face and splattered on the ground as he was captured on camera staring down. The 75-year-old Queen Camilla turned to face the egg thrower and briefly exhibited alarm. Charles and his wife turned and proceeded toward the throng to resume their walkabout before Charles finished the chat he was holding.
God preserve the King and “hip, hip hurrah” were shouted by the audience as the King’s personal guard formed a tight shield behind him.
A member of the royal protection team first kept a close eye on a group of police officers while they apprehended a suspect.
According to witness Kim Oldfield, “around five eggs” were really sent by the suspect. “When the booing began, Camilla trembled a little bit, but [police] swiftly stopped it. Shame they ruined what might have been a beautiful occasion.”
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Over the course of two days, King Charles and Queen Camilla will be in the northern English county of York. At York Minster, a statue honouring Charles’ late mother, Queen Elizabeth, will be unveiled on Wednesday. Since the legendary king passed away in September, this will be the first statue to be erected.
“My wife and I are very affected to have been requested to unveil this statue to my loving mother,” King Charles said in a speech.
He said, “This statue was initially conceived as a commemoration of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee five years ago, during a reign of exceptional duration and success. It is now unveiled in her honour as a monument to a life of tremendous dedication and commitment as we have watched with much grief as that reign came to an end.
Added he, “Throughout her reign, the late Queen watched out for the wellbeing of her people. For decades to come, her image will now guard what will one day become Queen Elizabeth Square, serving as a continual reminder of our shared responsibility to care for one another and our community.”
During their outing, King Charles and Queen Camilla both wore poppies as accessories. The red poppy pins became a staple of the royal family’s outfit every November. Since 1921, the poppy has been used to honour military personnel who have lost their lives in battle. For Remembrance Day on November 11, the red blossom is especially linked with the U.K. and Commonwealth nations.
The poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae, which is about World War I, is thought to be where the poppy emblem first appeared. The first stanza is as follows:
The poppies blow in the Flanders fields.
Row upon row of crosses designate our location, and the larks fly in the sky while still bravely singing.
Rarely heard among the below-ground weapons.
