A man has been detained by police after a witness said he “ran up to the Queen’s coffin” in Westminster Hall.
Witness Tracey Holland told Sky News: “Some person decided they were going to push my [seven-year-old niece] out the way, run up to the coffin, lift up the standard and try to do I don’t know what.
“She was grabbed out the way and the police had him within two seconds.
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She added: “Terrible, absolutely terrible, so disrespectful and unbelievable – and this poor little seven-year-old child, this is her lasting memory of the Queen.”
The Metropolitan Police said: “Around 10pm on Friday 16 September, officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command detained a man in Westminster Hall following a disturbance.
“He was arrested for an offence under the Public Order Act and is currently in custody.”
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A parliament spokesman said: “We’re aware of an incident in Westminster Hall, in which a member of the public moved out of the queue and towards the catafalque (raised platform).
“They have now been removed from the hall and the queue restarted with minimal disruption”.