‘How long did you know about Epstein?’ King Charles heckled

During a visit to Lichfield Cathedral, the King was greeting wellwishers when an onlooker suggested Charles covered up the scandal over Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein.

King Charles has been heckled over Prince Andrew during an official visit, amid mounting pressure on the royals to strip the prince of his titles and evict him from Royal Lodge.

During a visit to Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire, the King was greeting wellwishers when an onlooker began shouting questions, suggesting Charles covered up the scandal over his brother and Jeffrey Epstein.

The King did not react as the man shouted: “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?”

Other members of the crowd shouted at the man to “shut up” as the King continued down the lineup

Footage of the encounter was shared by the Republic campaign group, which said it supported the heckler.

Republic chief executive Graham Smith praised the heckler, whom he said he believed was one of the group’s members.

BREAKING: King Charles has been heckled over Prince Andrew during a visit to Lichfield Cathedral.https://t.co/jobgWUtB8V

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/gOxoyuELLo

— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 27, 2025

“We fully support the heckling of Charles,” Mr Smith said in a statement.

“The royals need to be challenged, and if the politicians won’t do the job and the police won’t investigate, then more and more members of the public will be asking the tough questions.

“We want to see broadcasters invite Charles into a studio and ask him the same questions.

“Clearly, such serious accusations of criminality cannot be dealt with by moving to a different house or switching to a different royal title.

“If the royals aren’t properly challenged, the public will increasingly voice their anger wherever the royals go.”

The incident came as Andrew continued talks with Buckingham Palace over his move from Royal Lodge. The royal family have been under pressure to evict him since it was revealed that he hadn’t paid rent on the 30-bedroom property for two decades.

Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have agreed to leave the mansion, but Andrew wants to move into Harry and Meghan’s former Windsor home, Frogmore Cottage. Sarah wants to move into nearby Adelaide Cottage after William and Kate leave next month, in a sign the couple plan to live separately for the first time in decades.

A friend of the pair said: “No one is really sure how it’s going to go down at the palace yet.”