'He doesn't flinch': King Charles praised for remarkable composure while being egged by protester

·Yahoo UK royal reporter

Updated 9 November 2022 at 8:46 am·3-min read

Watch: Eggs thrown at King and Queen Consort during York arrival

King Charles has been praised for showing remarkable composure as a protester egged him and the Queen Consort during a walkabout in York.

As the couple were being welcomed to the City of York at Micklegate Bar, a protestor threw four eggs in their direction.

The man was heard to shout “this country was built on the blood of slaves” as he was being detained by around four police officers.

Other people in the crowd started chanting “God save the King” and “shame on you” at the protester, who was later arrested.

Britain's King Charles III reacts after an egg was thrown in his direction during a ceremony at Micklegate Bar in York, northern England on November 9, 2022 as part of a two-day tour of Yorkshire. - Micklegate Bar is considered to be the most important of York's gateways and has acted as the focus for various important events. It is the place The Sovereign traditionally arrives when entering the city. (Photo by James Glossop / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JAMES GLOSSOP/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) — King Charles looks down at an egg that was thrown at him by a protestor, November 9 2022, York. (Getty Images)

But amid the drama, many have commented on the nerveless response from Charles, who can be seen looking down at the cracked egg on the floor, smiling and then continuing to shake hands with members of the public before being moved along to continue the ceremony.

"70 years of training sessions paying off for Charles here. He. Does. Not. Flinch," wrote Henry Mance on Twitter, before joking: "Not this time avian flu."

Journalist Oz Katerji wrote: "King Charles dodging eggs without even trying has in fact only made him look more based than he actually is."

An egg that was thrown in the direction of Britain's King Charles III during a ceremony at Micklegate Bar, is pictured on the road, during his visit to York, northern England on November 9, 2022 as part of a two-day tour of Yorkshire. - Micklegate Bar is considered to be the most important of York's gateways and has acted as the focus for various important events. It is the place The Sovereign traditionally arrives when entering the city. (Photo by James Glossop / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JAMES GLOSSOP/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) — One of the eggs that were thrown at King Charles, York, November 9 2022. (Getty Images)

Channel 4 News presenter Krishnan Guru-Murthy described the reaction as "extraordinary cool under fire - not a flinch".

Leon Lesley Dobie pointed out that, on a previous occasion, Charles had to deal with more than just eggs, saying: "In 1994, a gunman fired two shots at King Charles in Sydney, Australia; His Majesty did not flinch. Do you really think he'd be bothered by a halfwit with some eggs?"

David Kang, in 1994, shot two blanks from a starting pistol at Charles — then Prince of Wales — during a ceremony in New South Wales. Kang was 23 at the time of the incident and said to be protesting the treatment of Cambodian asylum seekers who were being held in Australian detention camps.

SYDNEY, AUSTRIA: In this photo taken from a television broadcast, a man (C) is arrested in Sydeney, Australia, after he fired shots from a starter's pistol at Britain's Prince Charles 26 January 1994 during celebrations to mark Australia Day. Australia's Channel Nine television news identified the attacker as David Kang, an Australian-born ethnic Chinese student, and Prince Charles was not hurt in the attack. (Photo credit should read THOMAS CHENG/AFP via Getty Images) — Still from an Australian television broadcast of the arrest of 23-year-old David Kang, who fired two blank shots at Charles, 1994. (Getty Images)

Kang had reportedly written to the Prince of Wales before the incident about the extensive length of time asylum seekers were being detained.

Kang served 500 hours of community service and now works as a barrister.

In video footage of the on-stage incident, Charles barely seems to react to the shots fired and continues to adjust his cuffs.

After the ceremony at Micklegate Bar, the King and Queen Consort travelled to York Minster, where the monarch gave a speech and unveiled a new statue of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II.

The King was later cheered by crowds as he arrived in Doncaster, where he spent six minutes meeting well-wishers in an unplanned walkabout.

He and the Queen Consort met officials in Mansion House, where the King officially conferred city status on Doncaster in a ceremony.

Charles and Camilla then attended a reception with a menu which included free range egg and watercress sandwiches.

The protest in York was the latest in a series of anti-slavery comments the Royal Family has faced in regard to colonialism and the slave trade.