King Charles heckled by protester over Prince Andrew
Tony Jones |
King Charles has been heckled by a protester over his brother Prince Andrew’s ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while greeting royal fans during a cathedral visit in Britain.
“How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?” the man could be heard shouting as the monarch went on a walkabout outside Lichfield Cathedral in northwest England, close to Birmingham.
Charles was visiting the cathedral to highlight local community and heritage skills when the man, thought to be a member of anti-monarchy group Republic, shouted questions outside the place of worship.
In a video, thought to have been filmed by the protester as he spoke, the man also asked the King: “Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew?”, and “Should MPs be allowed to debate the royals in the House of Commons?”
Although Andrew, 65, said earlier in October he would give up using his title of Duke of York after years of scrutiny over his behaviour and connections to Epstein, questions about the prince – and what the royals knew of events – have intensified since.
The contents of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who accused the prince of sexually abusing her as a teenager, have triggered renewed backlash over the issue.
Now, Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson have also agreed to leave their Royal Lodge home in exchange for two separate residences, according to reports.
Andrew is said to be in talks with Charles’s representatives about leaving Royal Lodge voluntarily following the furore over the “peppercorn” rent for the 30-room mansion, where he has lived for more than 20 years.
Independent MP for York Central Rachael Maskell is seeking support for her Removal of Titles bill that would enable Prince Andrew to be formally stripped of his titles.Â
She said currently, the King can give a title but can’t take it away.
“Polling in our country, 80 per cent of people have said they want those titles removed once and for all and 88 per cent of people in my own city, so I think it’s very clear that action needs to be taken,” she told ABC Radio.
“We’ve heard that terrible heckling of the King today in Lichfield and it will just continue if proper action isn’t taken.”Â
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey is calling for a parliamentary inquiry into how the Crown Estate, effectively Andrew’s landlord, has managed support for the royal.
“I think, by disgracing his office, Prince Andrew has relinquished any rights to special treatment at the expense of the taxpayer, and parliament are the guardians of the taxpayer,” he told the BBC.
“And what I think would be the best thing to happen is a select committee inquiry into how the Crown Estate has managed that support and that officials from the Crown Estate and Prince Andrew should come to give evidence.”
An anonymous source told The Sun newspaper that Andrew has requested the former home of Prince Harry and Meghan, Frogmore Cottage, while Sarah Ferguson may relocate to Adelaide Cottage after it is vacated by Prince William and Kate in November.
The King has long been said to have tried to encourage his younger brother Andrew, who lives in Royal Lodge with Sarah, to move out.
Charles reportedly first offered Frogmore Cottage to Andrew in January 2023 after Harry and Meghan moved out, but the former duke turned it down.
Andrew has lived in Royal Lodge effectively rent-free since 2003.
Obstacles to reaching a settlement on Andrew’s residence reportedly include where the eighth royal in line to the throne will live and what financial recompense he will receive for the funds he spent renovating the home.
The UK government has so far refused to allocate time in the House of Commons for MPs to discuss Andrew’s situation because the royal family wants parliament to focus on “important issues”.
But the issue could be raised on one of the days when ministers are not in control of the parliamentary timetable.
With Reuters
PA
