Andrew Marr: 'Idiotic' heavy-handed policing over royal protests are 'frankly pathetic' and 'dangerous for the monarchy'

12 September 2022, 18:19

Heavy-handed policing over protests against the King are "frankly pathetic" and "dangerous for the monarchy", Andrew Marr has said.

Opening Tonight with Andrew Marr, the presenter said: "Kings and Queens throughout the ages have been cheered and applauded - and some people have booed them.

"Many have waved flags. Others have shaken their fists.

"Well, today we’ve seen people arrested for protesting against Charles III.

"One woman was led away for holding up a placard which read not my King. This is frankly pathetic.

"A monarchy which can't survive some booing and a few pieces of cardboard is pretty flimsy, isn't it?

"This kind of idiotic heavy-handed policing is actually, longer-term, dangerous for the monarchy.

"If the suggestion is that we can have a King or we can have free speech, millions of us will say - ooh, I think free speech, thanks."

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Andrew Marr's devastating takedown of 'idiotic heavy-handed policing'

It came after Andrew rounded up the events of the day as the royals appeared in Edinburgh along with the Queen's coffin.

"On the King’s first visit to parliament, and then to Edinburgh to walk behind his Mother's coffin, I just want to start with a few words about history.

"First, all those American and other critics of the British Monarchy who complain that it’s rooted in colonialism, should have been shown Westminster Hall where Charles addressed MPs and peers this morning.

"It was built in 1097 and monarchy was already very old then. Colonial roots? But of course that was the English monarchy.

"Scotland had its own and after speaking in Westminster Hall King Charles, quite rightly, headed briskly up to Edinburgh today, where he is King not of Scotland, but of Scots.

"The Scots have had a different relationship with monarchy than the English - more assertive, they might say, less forelock-tugging.

"And that’s got history behind it too."

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He added: "In 1689, after the Dutch forces of King William had invaded England, and the Catholic King James had skeddadled, The Scottish convention issued the claim of right, insisting on the rights of the Scottish parliament.

"A king was a king because Parliament agreed to him - nothing to do with God.

"Now you might say, all that’s old history - really, who cares? But if we are learning anything is this unusual week, it is that history is something we live, not just read about in books.

"Among Scottish nationalists right now there are plenty, particularly younger ones, who want a Scottish Republic: there was booing at the royal procession in Edinburgh; and it was interesting that the king went to see Nicola Sturgeon, leader of the SNP,  so early in the new reign - Just as he is also off to Northern Ireland, where republicanism also remains lively, later in the week.

"He gets it."