Protester Bares Her Bosom to Queen

A 43-year-old woman who said she wanted to rebuke Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II on environmental issues bared her breasts to the monarch today in the most recent of a series of protests and pranks to mar the royal tour of Australia and New Zealand.

The incident took place as the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, arrived at the waterfront Opera House for a cruise of Sydney Harbor and were being cheered by about 5,000 schoolchildren and other well-wishers.

The woman, wearing a scanty pink top with the inscription, “Earth First,” climbed on top of a sandstone retaining wall in clear view of the royal couple. Within feet of the queen, the brunette pulled aside her skimpy top to reveal her breasts.

“The woman’s singlet (top) was only joined at the bottom and boobs were everywhere,” said Shirley May, an elderly fan of the queen who joined with friends to subdue the woman until a policewoman arrived and put her in a police car.

Spectators jeered and booed the woman, shouting “tart,” “harlot,” “smack her in the head” and “throw her in the water.”

As she was led away, the woman shouted, “It was Queen Victoria who made us wear clothes up to our neck--I am trying to reverse the situation.”

She told reporters “I certainly wanted to eyeball the queen about her lack of action in working for the environment. I think she is a character of ridicule for anyone who is any way intelligent--someone who just waves her hand to her subjects and does absolutely nothing.”

The queen and Prince Philip, who appeared unshaken and kept smiling as they waved to admirers, were hurried away for the cruise.

The woman, identified by police as Francesca D’Espiney, was booked on charges of offensive behavior and assault on a police officer.