Man who heckled Andrew as he walked behind Queen’s coffin won’t face court

Cries of ‘Andrew, you’re a sick old man,’ could be heard from the dense crowd during the incident

A man charged after the Duke of York was heckled as he walked behind the Queen’s coffin will not face court.

The incident took place as Andrew walked in a royal procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh to St Giles’ Cathedral, on September 12.

Cries of ‘Andrew, you’re a sick old man,’ could be heard from the dense crowd of people as the Duke walked by.

A 22-year-old man was later arrested and charged with breach of the peace.

The Crown Office has now said the case has been dealt with ‘by way of an offer of an alternative to prosecution’.

A spokesman 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.’

King Charles III, Princess Anne, Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Prince Edward, Earl of Forfar arrive at St Giles Cathedral on September 12 (Picture: Karwai Tang/WireImage)

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 was 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.’

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Cries of ‘Andrew, you’re a sick old man,’ could be heard from the dense crowd as the Duke walked by.