Man, 21, charged after egg ‘thrown at King Charles’ during Luton walkabout

A 21-year-old man has been charged with a public order offence after an egg was allegedly thrown at King Charles during a visit to Luton.

Bedfordshire Police has refused to name the suspect after he was arrested in St George’s Square on Tuesday (6 December).

In a statement, the force said: “A 28-year-old man has been charged in relation to an incident which occurred during His Majesty King Charles III’s visit to Luton yesterday. The man was charged under section five of the Public Order Act and has been bailed to appear at Luton Magistrates’ Court on January 9 2023.”

King Charles has been in the town to ride the new new cable-drawn Dart mass passenger transit system and looked relaxed as he met members of the public, just a day after the Duke of Sussex spoke of a “dirty game” in a trailer for his new Netflix series.

He had been temporarily steered away from the crowds outside Luton Town Hall by his security staff shortly after arriving, and later resumed shaking hands with members of the public after being moved to a different area.

The incident comes just weeks after 23-year-old Patrick Thelwell was arrested for throwing an egg at the King and Queen Consort during a visit to York. The egg was thrown in the direction of the King and Camilla the Queen’s Consort as they walked along Mickelgate Bar. Neither of the Royals were hit by the egg and the man was reportedly heckled by members of the public gathered to catch a glimpse of the King.

The protestor could be heard shouting “this country was built on the blood of slaves” as he was detained by around four police officers. Other people in the crowd started chanting “God save the King” and “shame on you” at the protester.

The royal couple had just arrived in the city on 9 November to to attend the unveiling of a statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II at York Minster - the first to be installed since her death. It was part of the King’s wider tour of Yorkshire, which included visits in Bradford and Leeds.

On Tuesday (6 December), the King met with the Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire, Susan Lousada, and the mayor of Luton, Councillor Sameera Saleem, on arrival at the town hall before meeting local groups and members of the public. Guests included representatives from The Ghana Society, Royal British Legion, Luton Town’s football academy, veterans and cadets.

He later visited the newly built Guru Nanak Gurdwara, where he was greeted by Professor Gurch Randhawa, member of the Sikh Congregation at the Gurdwara and deputy lieutenant. He bowed in front of the Sikh holy book, Guru Granth Sahib, and sat cross-legged on the floor, wearing an orange scarf over his suit, before being invited to unveil a plaque to mark the official opening of the Gurdwara. The plaque included Tuesday’s date, and Charles joked that it was a good job he “turned up on the right day”.

The King spoke to volunteers at the Luton Sikh Soup Kitchen Stand about the impact food poverty is having on the community and later met with volunteers who run the Sikh School, before speaking to children learning Punjabi and traditional music.

The monarch also visited the Luton Dart Parkway Station to see the new cable-drawn mass passenger transit system, which will connect the rail station to London Luton Airport.

On Tuesday morning, Kensington Palace announced that Charles and the Queen Consort are to attend the Princess of Wales’s Christmas carol service on 15 December. The King, Camilla, Kate and the Prince of Wales will gather with other members of the royal family for the Together At Christmas service at Westminster Abbey.

The show of family unity will come on the day the final three episodes of Harry and Meghan’s docuseries drop on Netflix in which the Duke discusses the “pain and suffering” of women marrying into the royal family.

Netflix confirmed volume one will launch on 8 December - exactly three months after the death of Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II – with the second volume to be released on a week later on 15 December.