London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Aug 09, 2026

Man tried to check Queen was in coffin, court told

Man tried to check Queen was in coffin, court told

A man who tried to grab the flag draped over the Queen's coffin as she lay in state did not believe she was dead, a court has heard.

The prosecution claims Muhammad Khan wanted to look in the coffin to "check for himself" the Queen was there.

Mr Khan, 28, also allegedly planned to go to royal residences to "try to make contact" with the monarch.

He was granted bail on condition he remains in a mental health hospital until his next court hearing.

Doctors assessed Mr Khan as not fit to take part in proceedings at Westminster Magistrates' Court, where he appeared charged with two offences under the Public Order Act.

'To try to speak to the Queen'


The court heard he was suffering from delusions and the judge told him: "At the time when you were in Westminster you didn't accept that the Queen was dead and that was the reason you were moving towards the coffin to satisfy yourself that she was."

He added: "He is delusional still and thinks the Queen is not dead, thinks King Charles has something to do with it and may go to Windsor Castle to pay his respects, but also because he still thinks she is alive."

Prosecution lawyer Luke Staton, told the court Mr Khan had reached Westminster Hall when he was seen by officers to approach the coffin.

"He stepped off the carpet in the direction of the catafalque, then grabbed hold of the Royal Standard flag draped over the coffin with both of his hands," Mr Staton said.

The court heard Mr Khan was quickly detained, arrested and interviewed by police.

"The defendant did express the idea that the Queen is not dead and that he approached the coffin because he wanted to check for himself," said Mr Staton.

"He did say, prior to the state funeral, he was planning on going to the funeral.

"He planned to write to the Royal Family and if they did not reply he planned to go to Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace and Balmoral to try to speak to the Queen."

The court heard Mr Khan said if he was unsuccessful that he "would have to trespass in order to try and make contact", and when asked how many times he would try, replied: "As long as I'm living."

Mr Khan was among about 250,000 people who filed through the hall between 17:00 Wednesday and early on Monday morning to pay their respects.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Jorge Messi, Lionel Messi’s Father and Longtime Agent, Dies at 68
AI’s Next Bottleneck Is Power, Not Just Nvidia Chips
Nvidia Turned Gaming Chips Into the Engine of the AI Boom
Advertising trick: Pepsi’s Harrier Jet Commercial Led to a $700,000 Court Fight
Joe Biden’s Cancer Has Spread Beyond His Bones, Hunter Biden Says
Air Traffic Control Outage Grounded Flights Across the Midwest
Why 2027 Could Be a Strong Year for Stocks—and Why the Forecast Is Fragile
Why Markets May Look Quiet in August After Big Tech Earnings
Partial Solar Eclipse Expected to Draw Interest Across Southwestern UK
UK Graduate Job Postings Fall 7% as Entry-Level Opportunities Remain Scarce
UK Private Sector Returns to Growth as July Activity Reaches Highest Level Since April
UK Summer Drought and Wildfires Raise Pressure for Stronger Environmental Measures
UK Household Credit Stress Rises as Credit Card Lending Growth Hits 12.5%
London Stock Exchange Revises AIM Rules to Make Growth Capital More Accessible
NHS England to Expand Mental Health Services With 155 New and Upgraded Facilities
UK Overhauls £90 Billion Public Procurement System to Reward Domestic Jobs and Apprenticeships
Andy Burnham Holds Strong Approval as Labour Maintains Narrow Lead Over Reform UK, Opinium Finds
Royal Navy Monitored Russian Warships and Shadow Fleet Tankers for 21 Days in July
Australian Crew Evacuates Seriously Ill American From Antarctica in Midwinter Darkness
Trump’s Top General Seeks an Exit Strategy From Iran War, Report Says
Brock Lesnar Retires From Wrestling, Closing a Career of Rare Athletic Range and Lasting Controversy
Welsh First Minister Raises Independence With UK Prime Minister in First High-Level Call
UK Maintains Severe Terror Threat Level as Prevent Report Highlights Online Radicalization
YouGov Poll Shows Labour Favourability Improves as Reform UK and Greens Lose Ground
Brexit Campaigner Arron Banks Admits Hiring Private Investigator to Examine Journalist
Robert Jenrick Leaves Conservatives for Reform UK in Major Parliamentary Defection
July 2026 Was England and Wales’ Driest Month on Record, Met Office Says
UK Government Considers Public Inquiry Into Jeffrey Epstein’s UK Connections
Trump-Era Policy Shifts Test the Boundaries of U.S. Institutions
UK Drought Cuts Harvests and Raises Food-Security Fears
UFO: Pentagon Releases Video of Unidentified Object Tracked Over Middle East
US Health Secretary: “I’m Not Afraid of Germs — I Used to Snort Cocaine Off Toilet Seats”
Ukraine Tells Senate Republicans Its Drone War Offers a Blueprint for America
Weight-Loss Drug Boom Tests the Limits of Prescription Advertising Rules
Trump Keeps Hegseth at Pentagon While Leaving Door Open for DeSantis
UK Clears Paramount’s Warner Bros. Discovery Deal, but US Trial Looms
UK Prosecutors Add 38 Charges Against Andrew and Tristan Tate
Taiwan’s President Joins Wartime Command Drill as China Pressure Grows
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan Sign Mutual-Defence Pact
Government Orders Review of Prison Release Rules After Concerns Over Grooming Gang Offenders
Rail Disruption Continues Across North-West England Amid Infrastructure Problems and Engineering Closures
UK Tax Authority Proposes Broad Changes to Rules Governing Company Distributions
UK Government Moves to Protect Standing Areas Outside Pubs From Local Restrictions
Extreme Right-Wing Referrals Under UK Prevent Programme Rise 42 Percent
EU Citizens in UK Warned That Some Residency Rights May Have Been Granted in Error
Every Monitored Body of Water in England Fails Chemical Purity Standards, Government Data Shows
UK Scientists Create First Artificial Intelligence-Designed Viruses
England Orders Primary Schools to Identify Children at Risk of Becoming Disengaged From Education or Work
Government Moves to Close Prison Release Loophole Amid Concern Over Grooming Gang Offenders
UK Economy Shows Modest Growth Despite Energy Volatility and Global Supply Pressures
×