Man accused of egging King Charles charged

Student to be prosecuted under Public Order Act over York incident

Police detain Patrick Thelwell in York on 9 November (PA)

A student has been charged over an incident in which eggs were thrown at King Charles during a walkabout in York.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it authorised North Yorkshire Police to bring proceedings against Patrick Thelwell following the incident on 9 November.

The 23-year-old will appear at York Magistrates’ Court on 20 January charged with threatening behaviour contrary to Section 4 of the Public Order Act 1986.

Charles and the Queen Consort had just arrived in the northern city to unveil a statue in honour of the late Queen at York Minster when a figure in the crowd threw four eggs, all of which missed.

After the CPS authorised charges over the incident on Monday, a spokesperson said: “The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Patrick Thelwell are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.”

Weeks after the incident in York, a 28-year-old man was arrested after throwing eggs at King Charles in Luton during a walkabout in the centre of the Bedfordshire town on 6 December.

The unnamed man was charged the following day with a public order offence and is due to appear at Luton Magistrates’ Court on 9 January.

Charles reacts after egg thrown on Micklethwaite Bar in York (Reuters)

Charles has not commented on the incidents. He was not hit by an egg on either occasion.

His late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was less fortunate during her reign.

On a trip to New Zealand in 1986, she was left with yolk on her dress after being struck with an egg thrown by a woman protesting against a claim to the land made by the monarch’s great-great grandmother Queen Victoria.