Police bundle protester to the ground and arrest him outside Westminster Abbey as guests begin to arrive for Queen’s Commonwealth Service
- Three men held in the road minutes before royals arrives at Westminster Abbey
- A suspect, carrying a bunch of white roses, was grabbed by the waist and pinned
- Group were protesting against the Commonwealth’s treatment of Cameroon
A protester has been tackled to the ground outside Westminster Abbey today minutes before the Queen and the royal family were due to arrive for the annual Commonwealth Day service.
The suspect, carrying a bunch of white roses, was grabbed by the waist and pinned to the floor by officers guarding the road outside.
Two other men, including one with a banner, were also held as they appeared to run out from behind crash barriers and towards the Abbey.
Scotland Yard has not yet revealed what he was arrested for, but the man is believed to have been among a group of men protesting about ‘Commonwealth hypocrisy’ over the treatment of people in Cameron.
The suspect, carrying a bunch of white roses, was grabbed by the waist and pinned to the floor by officers guarding the road outside.
The man appears to have run out from behind crash barriers towards the entrance of the Abbey
The suspect was held down and handcuffed – but the Met has not yet said what he was arrested for
Another man, carrying a banner, was also seen running into the road so had to be apprehended and arrested
The man is believed to have been among protestors demonstrating against the government of Cameroon outside of the annual Commonwealth Day service
Royal family shares photo of the young Princess Elizabeth, aged 21, giving a speech vowing to ‘dedicate her life to the Commonwealth’
Princess Elizabeth records her birthday speech in Cape Town, South Africa, in April 1947
The Royal Family have shared a clip of a Princess Elizabeth, aged 21, vowing to dedicate her life to the Commonwealth during her first foreign tour in South Africa in April 1947.
The Queen, who would ascend the throne four years later, aged 25, after her father King George VI died in 1952, could be heard in a radio speech from Cape Town during a visit alongside the King, the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret in the first state visit since 1939 and the outbreak of World War II.
The monarch, now 93, would go on to undertake over 200 visits to the Commonwealth countries – which were formed in 1931 – during her reign, which has already lasted 68 years.
A black and white picture of the royal shows her wearing the beloved two string pearl necklace gifted to her by her father, as she embarked on her tour abroad.
And in a clip of the speech, the Queen says: ‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.’
Sharing the post on Twitter, the Royal Family wrote: ‘On her twenty-first birthday, in a speech broadcast on the radio from Cape Town, The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth.’
And taking to their Instagram account, the Royal Family posted a collage of the Queen during her almost seven decades of travel, writing: ‘The Queen undertaken more than 200 visits to Commonwealth countries’.
Harry and Meghan joined the monarch, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the central London church as they carry out their last public royal duty before they walk away from the monarchy.
But, unlike last year, Harry and Meghan will be conducted to their seats, rather than waiting for the Queen’s arrival and walking through the church with the monarch and key royals as they did in 2019.
The move signifies their impending exit from The Firm – dubbed Megxit.
From March 31, the monarch’s grandson and American former actress Meghan will no longer use their HRH styles as they pursue a new life of personal and financial freedom, mostly in North America.
The Sussexes will arrive after the Earl and Countess of Wessex, who will also be escorted to their seats.
Today the Queen in her Commonwealth Day message has praised the diversity of the family of nations whose blend of traditions ‘serves to make us stronger’.
In her annual message, Her Majesty highlighted how global connectivity makes people aware their ‘choices and actions’ can affect the ‘well-being of people and communities living far away’ – and inspires many to be more careful with natural resources.
International boxing champion and Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua will deliver a reflection, while singers Alexandra Burke and Craig David will perform.
Ahead of their wedding, Harry and Meghan highlighted the Commonwealth as a priority for their royal duties.
Harry said: ‘Both of us have passions for wanting to make change, change for good, and with lots of young people running around the Commonwealth, that’s where we’re going to spend most of our time hopefully.’
Stepping down as a working royal means Harry must leave his role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador.
But he will remain president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust and Meghan will still be the Trust’s vice-president.
The couple are said to want to ‘collectively make a change in the armed forces arena’ and will make the military central to their charitable work in their new lives.
A source told the Daily Mirror that issues such as medical care and homelessness for veterans and injured service personnel, both in the UK and the United States, are to be a focus of their new charitable organisation.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his pregnant fiancee Carrie Symonds were among the VIPs at today’s event