A distant cousin to King Charles is being hunted by police after he hurled racist abuse in a McDonald's restaurant.
Rowan Nash Lascelles, 46, is the King's second cousin once removed and a great-great grandchild of George V. Lascelles, who is 68th in line to the throne, has multiple previous convictions for racially-aggravated criminal offences. He did not attend his latest trial at Willesden Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, and it went ahead in his absence.
The court heard Lascelles threatened to stab a homeless support worker in the face with a knife, shouted racist abuse in McDonald's and approached gay men calling them 'batty boys'. He also attacked a woman at Victoria railway station. Magistrate Patricia Thomson issued a warrant for his arrest after finding him guilty of multiple offences. Earlier this month Lascelles admitted racially or religiously aggravated harassment against Abdirashid Mohamed at WHSmith at Victoria station on February 16 last year
He also admitted threatening behaviour to Isabella Goto Abbiati and assaulting Chrysoula Nikidopoulou. Both incidents are also said to have taken place at Victoria in August 2023. He denied but was convicted of racially aggravated harassment and threatening behaviour to cause harassment alarm or distress to at McDonald's in Kilburn High Road last 27 September.
Lascelles approached men he believed to be gay in the restaurant referring to them as 'batty boy' and said 'I bet you love it up the a***e.' He shouted "n****r" as he approached the counter and shouted it repeatedly into the kitchen, the court heard. When a black male objected, Lascelles replied 'go on let me say it one more time'. Police were called and Lascelles was arrested.
Lascelles is King Charles' second cousin once removed (PA)Lascelles also denied but was convicted of using threatening words with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence to St Mungo's worker Claire Hopkins on 15 September 2023. Mrs Hopkins, the manager of the Westminster outreach team at St Mungo's, said Lascelles pressed their intercom and immediately started kicking the door.
She said: "I could hear he was shouting but couldn't hear what he was saying initially. One staff member was outside trying to get in so we made the decision to go outside and support her to come into building. When she came in Rowan placed his foot and shoulder against the door to prevent me from closing it and that's when he started shouting again. He was shouting about a colleague of mine called Maria and making quite specific threats to Maria that he wanted to smash her head in."
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He then told Mrs Hopkins: 'I'm going to get a knife and stab you in the face', the court heard. She said she was scared and shaking and wanted to shut the door as quickly as she could. Once the door was shut Lascelles disappeared but later returned and smashed two windows. Mrs Hopkins said: "I was scared, we have metal bars on the side of our windows so I was really grateful for that as it meant he couldn't have come in." He ran before the police arrived, she said.
Mrs Hopkins had known Lascelles through the charity on and off since 2020. She said: "There have been periods where Rowan has been friendly and as a charity we have been able to support him but also other incidents where he has been aggressive and threatening."
Lascelles admitted causing £460 criminal damage of a window at St Mungo's and breaking another window worth £410, both in September last year. He also admitted criminal damage to a Colindale police station cell on 19 September 2023. Applying for a warrant to be issued for his arrest, prosecutor Martin Edwards said Lascelles was "no stranger to the court system", and has 15 sets of previous convictions for 21 offences, including racially aggravated harassment.
Lascelles has been living in a house of multiple occupancy through a housing association but he was not there yesterday. He was once banned from Sainsbury's in The Strand for telling staff to 'go back to where you come from.' Lascelles, of Cambridge Gardens, Ladbroke Grove, will be sentenced on a date to be fixed if he is found by police.
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