Alice Chambers was an innocent bystander who was waiting to see the King travel by before his coronation at Westminster Abbey when she was arrested and detained for the entire day.
A royal devotee was arrested for 13 hours at the King’s coronation for standing near Just Stop Oil demonstrators.
Alice Chambers, a 36-year-old Australian architect residing in London, was handcuffed by police officers on Saturday as she anxiously awaited to see the King drive by on his way to Westminster Abbey to be crowned.
She patiently crouched on The Mall with other royal revellers when she saw a “commotion” before several police officers came.
She stated, “There was a commotion as several police officers swooped in and began arresting Just Stop Oil protesters before they could begin to demonstrate.”
“Before I could get to my feet, two police officers grabbed me and led me away in handcuffs,”
Ms. Chambers said authorities ignored her attempts to explain that she was a spectator.
“When I was arrested, I attempted repeatedly to explain to the police that I had no connection to the protesters. “Despite providing my identification, I was detained for 13 hours.”
Ms. Chambers recalled feeling upset as she was taken into custody at the Wandsworth police station. Where she spent the remainder of coronation day – not exactly what she had in mind for the once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
Police acknowledged that a misunderstanding had occurred.
She was detained until 7 p.m., when officers “quickly realised” their mistake.
“It wasn’t until I was questioned hours after being detained that the officers realized I was merely a bystander and released me without further action,” she said.
Ms. Chambers added that the officers were then very polite and apologetic, explaining that the incident was a “misunderstanding.”
Following her ordeal, Ms. Chambers demanded an investigation into police failures on coronation day. Despite acknowledging that the police “had a lot to deal with” in terms of crowd control.
In response to the error, a Metropolitan Police spokesman told, “We are aware that a woman was arrested on 6 May 2023 in connection with a protest.
“The arresting officer was from the Lincolnshire Police Department. So the complaint has been forwarded to the appropriate force for investigation.”
The Metropolitan Police Department will provide any pertinent information requested.
