Kate Middleton and Prince William were met with a one-person protest during their visit to Cornwall on Thursday.
Matt Wilkinson, royal reporter for The Sun, captured footage of the objector while accompanying the royals during their engagement in southwest England.
“A protester holding a blank piece of paper disrupted Kate and William’s walkabout and was heard saying ‘no more monarchy,’” the reporter wrote on Twitter with a video showing the protester. “He was detained by police until the Prince and Princess departed.”
Wilkinson said that he spoke with the demonstrator, who told him: “It’s the 21st century we don’t need a monarchy anymore, it’s f***ng ridiculous.”
Kensington Palace didn’t immediately answer HuffPost’s request for comment.
This was the royal couple’s first visit to Cornwall since taking on the titles of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall following the death of Queen Elizabeth in September. William and Kate also assumed the titles of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The royal couple faced numerous protests during their controversial tour of the Caribbean last year.
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla also have faced demonstrators in the past few months, including two unusual incidents involving eggs.
In November, a student was tackled and arrested for throwing eggs at the monarch and his wife after shouting that the United Kingdom was “built on the blood of slavery,” according to video obtained by the Daily Mail’s Rebecca English.
The objector, 23-year-old Patrick Thelwell, later told The Mirror that he was not allowed within 500 meters of the king as punishment, and was forbidden from possessing eggs in a public place. The punishment was later amended to allow him to buy eggs as groceries, provided he carries a receipt.
The king faced a second egging incident a few weeks later in December, and again emerged without egg on his face (or person). That protester also was arrested.
There may be more protests as King Charles’ coronation approaches on May 6.
The ceremony “will be met by large republican protests,” Graham Smith, head of the U.K.-based anti-monarchy group Republic, promised in a statement to HuffPost shortly after the queen’s death.
Chris Jackson via Getty Images
“Charles is already king. There is absolutely no need to go through with this expensive pantomime,” Smith said at the time.
“Sweden and Norway scrapped coronations more than a century ago, if Charles wants to modernise he would start by doing the same,” Smith added. “But we know the claim of modernising or slimming down the monarchy is hot air. The cost will keep going up and the institution will remain stuck in the past.”