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King Charles was heckled during a visit to a cathedral on Monday by a protester who questioned him about Prince Andrew's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The man asked the King how long he had been aware of his brother's association with Epstein and inquired whether he had requested police to "cover up" for Andrew. The protest was met with vocal support for the King, including a woman who told the protester to "shut up" and chants of "three cheers for the King.”
Prince Andrew's links with Epstein have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. The prince, who relinquished his titles earlier this month, has strongly denied any wrongdoing. Throngs of fans had waited to meet the King, who was visiting Staffordshire for an engagement at Lichfield Cathedral.
In video footage from the event, the single protester said: "How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew? Should MPs be allowed to debate the royals in the House of Commons?"
The King did not respond to the questions but carried on greeting fans, some of whom chanted "God Save The King". One fan can be heard asking him for a hug. Several people outside the cathedral looked visibly annoyed by the protester, with a woman telling him to "go away and leave him alone".
The scandal over Prince Andrew's connections to Epstein has been reignited by sexual abuse allegations repeated in Virginia Giuffre's posthumously published memoir. In the memoir, Ms Giuffre says she had sex with the prince on three separate occasions, including once with Epstein and "eight other young girls".
Andrew, who reached a financial settlement with Ms Giuffre in 2022, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In 2019, he said he did not remember meeting Ms Giuffre "at all" and that they "never had any sort of sexual contact".
Recently, fresh questions have been asked about how he is able to fund his lifestyle despite not being a working royal.
