A FORMER York council candidate who was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of trying to egg the King in York says he has 'absolutely no regrets'.

Patrick Thelwell, who stood unsuccessfully for the Green Party in Hull Road ward in the City of York Council 2019 elections and was detained after the incident at Micklegate Bar, said he believed King Charles III had 'deserved it'.

He told The Press: “I do not believe in kings. I do not respect his mandate to rule. I believe in power for the people."

Thelwell said he understood he was going to be charged under the Public Order Act over Wednesday's incident near Micklegate Bar, in which four eggs were thrown at the King as he was about to make a ceremonial entry into the city.

He said he was going to plead not guilty, adding that he 'did not respect the King's court'.

Thelwell has also told The Mirror that people in the crowd 'were literally screaming and wailing with pure rage' after the egging incident, and claiming that his head 'should be on a spike.'

He claimed:“People were ripping chunks of my hair out, they were spitting at me.

He also said his bail conditions included not going within 500m of the King and not possessing eggs in a public place.

Meanwhile, Thelwell told The Press that he had left the Green Party over its stance on Blue Badge parking in York city centre.

York Green Party leader Andy D'Agorne has condemned the egg throwing as 'totally unnaceptable'.

A Green Party spokesperson said: “The Green Party cannot comment on potentially live criminal cases and does not comment on individual disciplinary matters.”

Thelwell is well-known in York for his involvement in two high profile squats last year  - at the former Fibbers music venue in Toft Green and on derelict land next to York Barbican.

He says on his website that he is an activist with Extinction Rebellion, 'fighting for our Planet’s future', and that he is preparing to study for a PhD in Interdisciplinary Global Development at the University of York.

The University of York said on Wednesday night: “We are aware of eggs being thrown and are appalled by the images reported by the media today.

"As a community built on the values of respect and decency, the university condemns such behaviour, and we will be reviewing the incident in line with our misconduct procedures.”

The incident happened when the King and Queen Consort were about to make a ceremonial entry into the city through Micklegate Bar, prior to him unveiling a statue to Charles' mother at the Minster.

A protester started booing the pair before throwing four eggs at them, and shouting: "This country was built on the blood of slaves," before being detained by a number of police officers.

All of the eggs missed the Royal couple, who continued with their walkabout.

North Yorkshire Police has said that a 23-year-old man arrested on suspicion of a public order offence during the royal visit had been interviewed and released on police bail.