Sir Roger Moore fans 'shocked and angry' as Bond star's gravesite is 'vandalised'

A fan of his work recently visited the Cimetiere de Monaco and tried to find the late 007 actor's resting place by looking for a large family crest which marked the tombstone.

However, the man found the grave and discovered that the shield representing the star's family "has been ripped off", leaving them "equal parts shocked and angry that someone do something like this."

According to The Mirror, local authorities and the cemetery itself had no idea the apparent crime had occurred, with both parties telling TMZ that no one had "reported the vandalism" until now.

The fan posted pictures of the gravestone online, stirring up outrage among fans, as one commented: "If this doesn’t shake you up, it should stir you up a bit… why would anybody vandalize Sir Roger Moore’s grave?"

Another agreed and added: "So disrespectful! What a world."

Moore began his role as James Bond with Live and Let Die in 1973, before appearing as 007 for the final time in 1985's A View To A Kill, after which Timothy Dalton portrayed the character.

Other actors who played the role include George Lazenby, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, who left the franchise after his version of Bond was killed off in No Time To Die.

At the time of his death, his family released a statement which read: "It was with a heavy heart that we announce our loving father Sir Roger Moore has passed away in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer.

"The love with which he was surrounded in his final days was so great it cannot be quantified in words alone. We know our own love and admiration will be magnified many times overs, across the world, by people who knew him from his films, his television shows and his passionate work for UNICEF which he considered his greatest achievement.

"The affection our father felt whenever he walked on to a stage or in front of a camera buoyed him hugely and kept him busy working into his 90th year, through to his last appearance in November 2016 on stage at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

"The capacity crowd cheered him on and off stage, shaking the very foundations of the building just a short distance from where he was born.

"Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people. Our thoughts must now turn to supporting Kristina at this difficult time, and in accordance with our father’s wishes there will be a private funeral in Monaco."

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Since Daniel Craig stepped back from his role as Bond, there have been reports that Marvel and Bullet Train star Aaron Taylor-Johnson had been handed the role of 007 ahead of the 26th film in the franchise - however, the identity of the next 007 remains unconfirmed.

Theo James, Henry Cavill, Leo Woodall and Rege-Jean Page are just some of the names who have emerged to take on the role of Bond in the next set of films, but Moore's son Geoffrey recently hit out at the "ridiculous" idea of an American actor playing the role.

He told Express.co.uk: "I mean, there's a lot of talent out there, but he has to be English. It's ridiculous to consider Bond being an American.

"You know, even if he's got a flawless accent, he's got to be British. It is an English franchise. It's butterscotch and red telephone boxes and His Majesty the King."