Prince Andrew has been under fire as fresh allegations have emerged regarding his ties to Epstein

King Charles faced a rare moment of public backlash during a visit to Lichfield Cathedral on Monday (October 27) morning, as a lone protester loudly confronted him over the ongoing scandal surrounding his brother, Prince Andrew.

While hundreds gathered to wave flags and chant “God Save the King,” the atmosphere briefly shifted when one man shouted: “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”

The man also questioned whether the king had asked police to “cover up for Andrew” and whether MPs should be allowed to debate royal matters in the House of Commons.

King Charles was loudly questioned about Prince Andrew’s alleged friendship with Jeffrey Epstein (Credit: Cover Images)

King Charles confronted by heckler over Prince Andrew scandal

A clip of the heckling moment was posted on X (formerly Twitter).

The protestor’s remarks were met with some jeers and chants from the crowd, with one woman turning to him and snapping: “Shut up.” Others drowned him out with repeated cheers and chants of “God Save the King”.

Despite the outburst, the king remained composed and seemingly unfazed, continuing to greet members of the public. One well-wisher told him it was “amazing” to finally meet him, having waited since 5am.

Royal Insider has contacted reps for Buckingham Palace for comment.

Prince Andrew has been under fire as fresh allegations have emerged regarding his ties to Epstein (Credit: Cover Images)

Prince Andrew controversy

The heckling comes amid mounting pressure on King Charles to take firmer action against Prince Andrew.

Earlier this month, Andrew agreed to stop using his “Duke of York” title.

He has been at the centre of damning headlines recently, about his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

A leaked email, allegedly sent from Andrew’s email, showed the prince reportedly telling Epstein “we are in this together”. The email was reportedly sent in 2011 after the now-infamous 2001 photo of Andrew with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, when she was 17 was made public.

The timing directly contradicts Andrew’s claims in his 2019 Newsnight interview that he cut ties with Epstein in December 2010.

Meanwhile, Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir was released last week. The book details Ms Giuffre’s allegations against Andrew. She alleged she was made to sleep with the prince when she was 17 after being trafficked by Epstein.

Prince Andrew has always vehemently denied the accusations. In 2022, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre in a US civil case.

Elsewhere, reports suggest Andrew is in “advanced talks” with palace officials about vacating Royal Lodge, his 30-room Windsor mansion.

Public anger intensified following revelations that the royal has paid as little as £1 a year in “peppercorn” rent since signing a 75-year lease in 2003.

He reportedly paid up to £8.5m up front instead of paying traditional annual or monthly rent.

King Charles visits Lichfield Cathedral

While the controversy rages on, King Charles remained focused on his official duties during his Lichfield visit.

Inside Lichfield Cathedral, he met with dozens of community groups, including volunteers from local food banks, disability initiatives like Liberty Jamboree, and the cathedral’s own embroiderers’ guild.

The monarch was serenaded by a choir. He also viewed the Table for the Nation, a symbolic oak piece originally crafted for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee.

Following his cathedral appearance, the king travelled to the National Memorial Arboretum to attend the dedication ceremony for the UK’s first LGBT+ armed forces memorial.

Read more: Prince Andrew ‘in talks over Royal Lodge home’ amid scandal