Shocking footage shows the moment a man smashes a bottle over another man’s head outside the gates of Buckingham Palace amid a crowd of mourners.
A man was arrested on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm following the attack but later bailed while police investigated.
Thousands gathered outside the palace to mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II, who died on Thursday aged 96.
Most came to pay their respects to the monarch by laying flowers and singing the national anthem.
However, things turned violent after a man viciously attacked another without provocation.
In the video, the man can be seen arguing with a crowd of mourners, but it is not clear what the matter is about.
A young man in a dark suit then emerges from the crowd and pulls out a bottle of wine to mark Her Majesty’s passing.
The crowd was stunned by the vicious attack as the wine bottle smashed over the man’s head
The man in the suit was the first to arrive on stage with the bottle of wine and said: “Today is not for this man, today is for the Queen” and was greeted by cheers from the crowd
Things quickly turned ugly as the attacker struggled for the bottle of wine in the crowd
He said: “Today is not about this man, today is about the Queen” and was greeted by cheers from the crowd.
However, things took a turn for the worse when the first man began to struggle with him to get hold of his wine bottle, eventually managing to wrestle it from him.
Others next to them protested, telling the man to return the bottle.
After drinking the wine, he leaves, but then turns around and viciously smashes the glass bottle over the other man’s head before walking away.
The bottle shatters completely on impact, but miraculously seems to leave the man unharmed but shaken.
The man then suddenly turned around and smashed the glass bottle over the other man’s head
The victim was holding the back of his head and stumbling backwards after the unprovoked attack
Police rushed to the scene after the attack as the victim appeared visibly shaken
He then calls out to the crowd for help as shocked bystanders rush to intervene.
Many check the back of his head where the bottle hit to see if he was badly injured, but no blood is visible.
The police arrived on the scene immediately after the attack and a man was taken into custody shortly after.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “At around 10pm on Thursday 8 September, officers on patrol outside Buckingham Palace became aware of an attack.
“A man in his 20s reported being assaulted with a glass bottle. His injuries are not life-threatening.
“A 44-year-old man was detained at the scene on suspicion of causing bodily harm. He was detained and subsequently released on bail pending further enquiries.
The Met did not say why the man was not charged or why he was released on bail and declined to comment on whether any officers had seen footage of the attack.