A man was arrested on Friday evening inside Westminster Hall, where the British Queen lies on her lap, The Guardian reports.
Touched the coffin
According to a witness, the man allegedly got out of the line and up to the elevation, a so-called catafalque, on which the coffin rests and touched the coffin before he was arrested by the police.
Scotland Yard said in a statement that the man had been arrested and detained for disturbing the peace.
The incident occurred shortly before 10 p.m. local time, when many had already queued for over twelve hours to catch a glimpse of the Queen’s coffin. Just hours earlier, the Queen’s four children – King Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward – had kept vigil at the coffin. A similar vigil will be held by the Queen’s eight grandchildren on Saturday.
Abuse among queuers
Earlier, two women accused a man of sexual assault while they were queuing at Westminster Hall.
Security planning for the Queen’s retinue in London has been enormous given the increased risk of terrorist attacks as large crowds have gathered in central London.