King Charles Encounters Heckling Concerning His Brother's Jeffrey Epstein Links

In the course of a visit to Lichfield Cathedral on the start of the week, the King was confronted by a protester who asked him about his brother's links with convicted sex offender Epstein.

The protester demanded to know how long the monarch had been aware about his brother's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, and also raised doubts about whether he had asked the authorities to "hide" for Prince Andrew.

Despite the protest, there were crowds of supporters and cheers for the monarch, who was visiting Staffordshire for an engagement.

Prince Andrew's connections with Jeffrey Epstein have been under intense scrutiny in recent weeks. The prince, who gave up his titles earlier this month, has strongly denied any wrongdoing.

"How long have you known about Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein? Did you request the police to cover up for him?"

The King ignored the questions but continued meeting fans, some of whom chanted "Long live the King". One fan can be heard requesting him for a hug.

A female bystander outside the cathedral was also observed telling the heckler to "leave" and to "be quiet".

Controversy Revived by Memoir

The controversy over the Duke of York's connections to Epstein has been revived by misconduct claims detailed in Virginia Giuffre's recently released book.

In the publication, Ms Giuffre claims she had sexual encounters with the prince on three separate occasions, including one instance with Epstein and "eight other young girls"

Andrew, who reached a out-of-court agreement with the plaintiff in recent years, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. In a previous interview, he told BBC Newsnight he did not remember meeting her "at all", and that they "did not have any sort of sexual contact."

New Inquiries Over Finances and Living Arrangements

But recently, fresh questions have been raised about how he is able to finance his way of life despite not being a working royal.

The revelation that he has only ever paid a nominal fee on his Windsor mansion has heightened the scrutiny over his living arrangements - even though he made large payments up front, including for improvements.

The Liberal Democrats said he should be summoned front of MPs to give testimony about his rental agreement of his lodge.

But last Thursday, the government declined to give MPs time to debate the prince's status or his home, despite increasing calls for scrutiny.

Buckingham Palace has not issued a statement on whether Prince Andrew might move out of his home - or where he might go.

Related Topics

• The Duke of York
• UK Royal Family
• King Charles III