THE man charged with breach of the peace after heckling Prince Andrew during the Queen’s funeral cortege in Edinburgh will not face court.
Queen Elizabeth’s coffin was being led from the Palace of Holyroodhouse towards St Giles’ Cathedral on the Royal Mile on September 12 when the incident occurred.
Footage posted to social media showed a young man heckling Prince Andrew as he walked behind his mother’s coffin.
The man was then wrestled to the ground by two bystanders who were charged with assault last month.
However, despite being arrested and charged with breach of the peace over the incident, the Crown Office has announced that the 22-year-old will no longer face court.
A spokesperson said: “The procurator fiscal received a report concerning a 22-year-old male in connection with an alleged incident on September 12, 2022.
“After full and careful consideration of all facts and circumstances, the case was dealt with by way of an offer of an alternative to prosecution.”
Alternatives to prosecution can include warnings, work orders, fines and compensation orders, however the Crown Office said it could not say what alternative was used in this case.
Prosecutors also said no action will be taken at this time against a woman who held an anti-monarchy sign ahead of the accession proclamation of King Charles III in Edinburgh.
The 22-year-old Edinburgh University student was also arrested outside St Giles’ Cathedral on September 11.
The Crown Office said: “The procurator fiscal received a report relating to a 22-year-old female and an incident said to have occurred on September 11, 2022.
“After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, the procurator fiscal decided that there should be no proceedings taken at this time.
“The Crown reserves the right to proceed in the future if it is appropriate and in the public interest to do so.”
