King Charles III faced an unprecedented wave of public fury on Monday as protesters heckled the monarch and senior members of the royal family during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, demanding answers about what they knew regarding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The March 9 gathering marked the royal family’s largest public appearance since Andrew’s arrest on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former Duke of York, stripped of his princely titles, spent 11 hours in custody before being released under investigation.
Demonstrators from the anti-monarchy group Republic gathered outside Westminster Abbey, brandishing bright yellow signs that read “What did you know?” and “Charles, what are you hiding?” As the King’s motorcade approached, protesters chanted “Charlie, Charlie, time to go!” loud enough to pierce through the tolling of the Abbey bells.
The protesters held blown-up photographs of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, as well as another disturbing image from recently released Epstein files showing Andrew on his hands and knees leaning over a woman lying face up on the ground. Other signs displayed messages including “Not my king,” “Down with the Crown,” and “Ditch the Duchies.”
King Charles, 77, attended the service alongside Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, projecting a united front despite the chaos outside. Princess Anne, the Duke of Gloucester, and other senior royals also participated in the ceremony honoring the 56-nation Commonwealth and its 2.7 billion citizens.
Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, delivered a scathing assessment of the royal family’s silence. “Charles and William—what did you know about Andrew? It’s a simple question, but one the royals have failed to answer,” Smith told reporters. “It’s inconceivable to think that they knew nothing about the allegations against Andrew.”
The demonstrations reflect growing public frustration over Andrew’s continued presence on royal properties despite mounting allegations. Police arrested the 66-year-old shortly after 8 a.m. at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, where he had been staying alone after vacating his 30-room mansion in early February. Authorities drove him away in an unmarked car to Aylsham police station in Norfolk.
The arrest marked the first detention of a senior British royal in modern history—the last comparable case being King Charles I, who was arrested in 1647 and beheaded for high treason in 1649. Officers also conducted searches at Royal Lodge in Windsor, where Andrew had lived before being ordered to vacate the property.
Following the arrest, King Charles issued a carefully worded statement that notably avoided defending his brother. The King used Andrew’s legal name rather than any royal title, stating he learned “with the deepest concern” about the arrest. “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” Charles declared, adding that authorities had the royal family’s “full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”
Robert Jobson, author of “The Windsor Legacy,” described the gravity of the situation, warning that if revelations emerge about what family members, police, or staffers knew, “heads must roll.”
A palace insider emphasized the unprecedented nature of the crisis. Other events have rocked the monarchy, the source explained, but something from within—where someone is being arrested—is very different and far more serious.
The scandal centers on Andrew’s relationship with Epstein during his tenure as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 to 2011. Recently released FBI documents revealed that a woman told investigators she massaged Andrew at Epstein’s New York home before the prince gave her a massage in return.
Andrew reached a financial settlement with Virginia Giuffre in 2022 after she accused him of sexual abuse on three separate occasions. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April 2025 at age 41, had become one of the most prominent survivors to speak out against Epstein and his enablers. Andrew has consistently denied all allegations and told BBC Newsnight in 2019 that he did not remember meeting Giuffre “at all.”
This was not the first time King Charles faced public heckling over the scandal. In October 2025, a protester confronted the King during a visit to Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire, demanding answers about whether he had asked police to cover up for Andrew. That protest was met with vocal pushback from royalists who chanted “God Save The King” and told the heckler to “shut up.”
Inside Westminster Abbey on Monday, King Charles delivered his Commonwealth Day address without acknowledging the turmoil outside. He described the voluntary union as standing as “a force for good” in an increasingly fragmented world, emphasizing its commitment to unity and service.
Meanwhile, Andrew remains at Wood Farm under investigation. His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson traveled abroad after the arrest, while their daughter Princess Eugenie was skiing in Switzerland when the news broke. Princess Beatrice has maintained a low profile throughout the ordeal.
Smith concluded his assessment outside the Abbey with a stark prediction, suggesting that support for the monarchy is falling and Republic is growing—making abolition a matter of when, not if.
Sources:
https://people.com/kate-middleton-prince-william-king-charles-heckled-protesters-commonwealth-day-11915331
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/king-charles-kate-middleton-prince-william-heckled-protesters-demanding-answers-andrews-epstein-ties
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp8empv38vgo
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/king-charles-prince-william-kate-210907874.html
https://www.thenational.scot/news/25921169.clip-shows-king-charles-heckled-andrew-epstein-cover-up/