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King Charles Heckled Over Andrew Scandal During Walkabout: ‘Have You Asked the Police to Cover Up?'

King Charles found himself in the hot seat, ironically for someone else's actions, during a public outing in Staffordshire on October 27. As the monarch greeted well-wishers outside Lichfield Cathedral, a heckler cut through the pleasantries and pressed the King on whether he was aware of Prince Andrew's controversial ties to Jeffrey Epstein before they became public. Charles, long tasked with cleaning up his brother's mess, was left flustered before being guided away to continue his walkabout.

The footage, shared by the anti-monarchy group Republic, captures the heckler shouting, "How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew? Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew, Charles?" They pressed, "What do you think — should MPs be allowed to debate the royals in the House of Commons?"

Charles, who clearly heard the cutting words, ignored the confrontation and continued greeting the crowd. Supporters of the monarch appeared disgruntled by the interruption, with some asking the protester to shut it down. A person was heard saying, "Now look what you've done," as the King was escorted to the other side to continue the walkabout.

After the footage went viral on X (formerly Twitter), royal watchers had a lot to say about the awkward confrontation. A critic slammed, "The voices of the British people are growing louder. The royal family would be wise to listen." In a similar vein, another said, "That's not heckling. That's just asking questions that he ought to have answered." Meanwhile, a netizen opined, "His behavior makes you think that he is hiding something, in my opinion, but who knows." As the comments poured in, a royal fan argued, "Should be arrested for breach...People are there wanting to see the King."

During his visit to Staffordshire, Charles stopped at Lichfield Cathedral to meet local community groups and volunteers, highlighting the cathedral’s civic and cultural role in the region. Minutes after being confronted by the critic, he traveled to the nearby National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas to formally unveil the UK's first national memorial dedicated to LGBT members of the armed forces.

The outing comes amid reports of a tug-of-war between Charles and Andrew over the former Duke's eviction from Royal Lodge. The King is reportedly under mounting pressure from both his family and the public to have Andrew vacate the royal property. Despite substantial evidence against him, Andrew has vehemently denied the allegations surrounding his close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.