An Australian royal fan attending the coronation of King Charles III was arrested and detained after being confused for a protestor.
Architect Alice Chambers, 36, was in London for the coronation of the King, when she was wrongfully mistaken for a Just Stop Oil protestor, a cause she had never heard of.
She spent 13 hours in a cell at Wandsworth Police Station where she had her fingerprints and mugshot taken, she told British outlet inews.
She was told she was being arrested on suspicion of ‘potential to cause a breach of the peace’.
Police were out in full force on May 6 to prevent any disruption to the coronation procession.
In an interview with inews, Ms Chambers described being handcuffed and detained despite repeated attempts to explain she was not associated with the protestors.
According to a Twitter thread from an inews journalist, Ms Chambers enjoys royal events and attended the Queen’s garden party in 2017. She was so excited about King Charles’ coronation she got up at 7am to be at the Mall and catch a glimpse of the new monarch.
Just Stop Oil activists were holding signs and banners protesting new fossil fuel projects in the UK during the coronation event. Several Just Stop Oil protestors were arrested.
Ms Chambers has lodged a formal complaint about her treatment.
In total, 64 people were arrested in London during the coronation policing operation, according to the Metropolitan Police.