Prince William was reportedly booed by protesters outside Westminster Abbey when the royal family honored the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarine service Friday.
Members of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) gathered outside the abbey as Prince William arrived, chanting “shame on you” and booing, reports the BBC. They also changed “Down with Trident” and “Down with War” as William left.
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Musician Brian Eno also joined protesters, asking, “Why are we wasting so much of our resources on weapons that we’re never likely to use?”
William was joined by Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt for her first public engagement since she was named to the post earlier this week.
The ceremony was meant to mark 50 years of the U.K.’s nuclear deterrent. Since April 1969, there has always been at least one U.K. ballistic missile submarine patrolling the oceans.
The CND said it was “horrified” by the service, attended by 2,000 congregants made up of naval representatives and their families. Kate Hudson, the CND’s general secretary, called the ceremony “morally repugnant.”
“This sends out a terrible message to the world about our country,” Hudson said, reports the Press Association. “It says that here in Britain we celebrate weapons, in a place of worship, that can kill millions of people.”
Critics also called out the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr. John Hall, for holding the ceremony at a place of worship. He defended the move during his speech though.
“The only legitimate aim for any country’s military capability is securing peace,” Hall said. “I have been asked repeatedly whether this service was meant to be a celebration of nuclear weapons, or an act of thanksgiving.”
He continued, “We can’t celebrate weapons of mass destruction, but we do owe a debt of gratitude and sincere thanks to all those countless men and women, some represented here today, who in the past 50 years have maintained a deterrent, and indeed to their families, who have stood by them. Those countless men and women played their part, a vital part, in maintaining peace.”
During the ceremony, William gave a reading and wore the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal. He is the commodore-in-chief of the submarine service.
This was a big week for Prince William, who celebrated his eighth wedding anniversary with Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. Since then, the couple has welcomed three children, Prince George, 5; Princess Charlotte, 3; and Prince Louis, 1. William, 36, is second in line to the British throne, after his father, Prince Charles.
Photo credit: Kirsty Wigglesworth – WPA Pool/Getty Images
