On Monday, the rather peaceful and somber setting of the queen’s funeral procession was shattered when a heckler assailed Prince Andrew, the younger brother of the new King Charles III, as he accompanied the motorcade.
Before being pushed roughly to the ground by officers and bystanders, a young man, identified only as “Rory,” yelled that Andrew was a “sick old man.”
The passing of Queen Elizabeth II seems to have brought out the best and worst in people. Some have hailed the queen as the “greatest monarch in history,” while others have referred to her in expletive-filled tirades as “bloodthirsty,” “a racist” and a staunch “colonialist.”
However, for the most part, the slow procession of the queen’s hearse through the streets of Scotland and England has, in many ways, unified a fractured country, which only recently confirmed a new prime minister after scandal-ridden Boris Johnson was forced to step down in July. Many were warmed to see estranged brothers William and Harry, children of the late Princess Diana and now King Charles III, come together during this time of national mourning.
Prince Andrew, 62, is the third child of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. His notorious connection with Jeffrey Epstein and the accusation that he sexually assaulted Virginia Roberts Giuffre when she was 17 made him the object of scorn in the country.
Andrew has maintained his innocence; he narrowly avoided a potentially disastrous lawsuit via a multimillion-dollar, behind-closed-doors settlement.
CBS News tweeted a video of the heckler and what happened:
Jonathan Anderson, a journalist for Holyrood Daily, tweeted:
“Spoke to the protestor who was arrested on the Royal Mile today for shouting abuse at Prince Andrew during the Queen’s procession – his name is Rory. Here’s what he had to say: ‘Powerful men should not be allowed to commit sexual crimes and get away with it.'”
The New York Post reported Giuffre’s intent to hold Andrew accountable:
“I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me,” Giuffre stated. “The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice.”
Giuffre added at the time: “I did not come to this decision lightly. As a mother and a wife, my family comes first — and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates — but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down.”
However, the case was dismissed and the settlement details have not been disclosed.
RTM previously reported that in the wake of scandal and multiple allegations, Queen Elizabeth II stripped Prince Andrew of all royal titles and responsibilities.
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