Days Ahead Of King Charles' Coronation, Man Arrested Outside Buckingham Palace For Throwing Shotgun Cartridges

London: Police arrested a man outside Buckingham Palace on Tuesday for throwing what they believe were shotgun cartridges and officers also carried out a controlled explosion in the area, days before King Charles' coronation ceremony.

Police said the man had approached Buckingham Palace gates and thrown items, suspected to be shotgun cartridges, into the palace grounds before being detained by officers at around 1800 GMT.

"The man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon after he was searched and a knife was found," London's Metropolitan Police said in an updated statement.

The statement said police were not currently treating the matter as terror-related.

Police and security services are preparing for King Charles' coronation on Saturday, which is expected to see large crowds line the streets of London and heads of state from around the world attend the formal ceremony.

Buckingham Palace said neither the king nor his wife Camilla were at the palace at the time of Tuesday's incident.

In 2016, an unarmed man was arrested on the grounds of Buckingham Palace after scaling a perimeter wall. In 2021, a man was arrested at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day wearing a mask and holding a crossbow.

King Charles to be crowned on May 6

King Charles, who became monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms on the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth in September last year, will be crowned in a ceremony full of pomp, pageantry and religious significance on May 6.

For the best part of a thousand years, the kings and queens of England and Britain have been crowned at London's Westminster Abbey in a ceremony that has changed little throughout the centuries.

Originally, a coronation was a necessity for a monarch, but it is now a ceremonial event and no other monarchy across the globe has an event in the same style.

During the solemn ceremony, Charles will take an oath to uphold the law and the Church of England.

Sitting on the historic Coronation Chair, known as King Edward's chair and containing the Stone of Destiny, he will be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the spiritual leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, with holy oil consecrated in Jerusalem.

Charles will also be presented with various hugely ornate golden orbs, scepters, swords, and a ring, which all form part of the Crown Jewels and variously symbolize the monarch's power, authority and duties, and the power of God.

The Archbishop will then place the heavy St Edward's Crown, used in coronations for the last 350 years, upon his head.