Charles and William Booed by Protesters as They Kick Off Royal Week With Historic Ceremony — Watch
A recent royal engagement was disrupted when anti-monarchy protestors arrived with signs and slogans to voice their disapproval.
On July 1, many senior royals, including King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Prince William, attended the Order of the Thistle service at St. Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh. And while it was supposed to be a day of ceremony and celebration, things took a turn when anti-monarchy protestors came in with signs and slogans to showcase their disapproval. Onlookers have seen similar protests happening at many major royal events of late, with the latest at the historic Scottish ceremony.
From the Trooping the Colour parade in June to the Commonwealth Day service in March, similar protests disrupted happy occasions. The signs and slogans mostly flag the monarchy's long-kept silence regarding the Andrew-Epstein saga. Even as Charles stripped Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles and patronages, protesters held up signs that read "Not My King" and "What Did You Know?" Public anger over Mountbatten-Windsor's close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein remains a driving force behind these demonstrations, with many using these events to voice their frustration with the royal family. Watch the video here!
Inside St. Giles’ Cathedral, the family was participating in the ancient, prestigious Order of the Thistle ceremony. Right outside, they faced highly vocal protesters chanting "Not my King." The incident also occurred on what would have been Princess Diana’s 65th birthday, which might have made things especially difficult for Prince William.
The day required a difficult emotional balancing act on his part—navigating the deeply personal memory of his mother while stepping directly into the line of fire to defend the very institution she famously clashed with. Maintaining a calm poker face on such an emotional day, while surrounded by angry protesters, must have been incredibly difficult indeed.
The latest protest came just a day after Mountbatten-Windsor was seen attending the Sandringham Horse Driving Trials, where his sister-in-law, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, was competing. While he attempted to keep a low profile alongside his brother, Prince Edward, royal watchers weren't pleased. As The Sun reported, "Andrew sneaked in and sneaked out and definitely didn’t want to be seen"—but seen he definitely was. This was his first public outing since he was stripped of his patronages in October 2025.
