A mysterious figure that briefly appeared in Westminster Abbey on Saturday led social media users to speculate that an uninvited guest may have crashed King Charles III’s coronation.
A video uploaded to Twitter on Saturday showed what looked like a figure clad in dark robes and wearing a black hood holding what appeared to be a staff hurrying across the entrance to Westminster Abbey during the ceremonies.
“Anyone else just notice the Grim Reaper at Westminster Abbey?” one person who had uploaded the clip asked on Twitter.
Moment 'Grim Reaper' appears at Westminster Abbey during the coronation pic.twitter.com/61l71Evin8
— The Sun (@TheSun) May 6, 2023
As the video began to circulate, guesses on social media as to the identity of the figure ranged from a “Harry Potter” character to the character of Gandalf from “The Hobbit,” to an appearance by the former Megan Markel, wife of Prince Harry, Charles’ youngest son.
Harry and Megan are estranged from the royal family, though Harry attended Charles’ coronation ceremony.
Others who viewed the clip speculated that it was a potential witch sighting.
According to The Sun, before the coronation ceremony, a coven of witches had announced they would hold a ritual to cast spells for good weather during the coronation and the health of the new monarch.
It rained most of Saturday in London.
According to Newsweek, officials at Westminster Abbey said the Grim Reaper figure was “a verger.” Vergers are members of the abbey community who assists with religious services but who are not members of the clergy, according to the officials.
