On Monday, October 27, 2023, King Charles III encountered a heckler while greeting well-wishers outside of Lichfield Cathedral in England. During this interaction, a man in the crowd aggressively questioned the king regarding Prince Andrew's longstanding connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He specifically asked Charles how long he had known about Andrew’s friendship with Epstein and whether he had solicited police to cover for his brother.
The king did not respond to the heckler's accusations, and soon the man was shouted down and removed from view. Following this incident, some members of the crowd began chanting “God Save the King,” reflecting a divide in public sentiment regarding the royal family and its controversies.
Prince Andrew, who is 65 years old, has faced serious allegations since 2019, claiming he had sexual relations with at least one underage girl trafficked by Epstein. Virginia Giuffre, one of Andrew's accusers, has stated that she was forced to engage in sexual encounters with the prince multiple times when she was just 17 years old. In 2022, a settlement was reached after Giuffre filed a lawsuit against him, estimated to have cost around USD 10 million.
Giuffre's recently published memoir, titled “Nobody's Girl,” details her alleged encounters with Prince Andrew, describing him as “entitled” and suggesting he believed having sex with her was his entitlement due to his royal status. Tragically, Giuffre died by suicide in April at the age of 41, raising further discussions about the implications of her claims and the broader culture of abuse associated with high-profile figures.
Despite Andrew’s repeated denials of these allegations, pressure mounted from both Buckingham Palace and the British government, leading him to step back from royal duties after a disastrous 2019 interview with BBC News. As a consequence, he lost his patronage with 230 charities and recently announced that he would cease using the title Duke of York.
There is ongoing political pressure for Andrew to vacate Royal Lodge, a spacious 30-room residence located near Windsor Castle where he lives with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, who will no longer carry the title Duchess of York. The couple has lived at the property since 2008, and questions surrounding how Andrew financially sustains this residence have grown, particularly since he rents it on a long lease from the Crown Estate, a collection of royal properties indirectly managed by the monarchy.
Reports from U.K. tabloids suggest that Andrew is negotiating to leave the Windsor estate in exchange for two homes, including Frogmore Cottage, the former residence of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Additionally, Ferguson is reportedly interested in moving to Adelaide Cottage after Prince William and Kate relocate next month.
Sources indicate that Prince William has intensified pressure on Andrew by suggesting that his cousins, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, could face title revocation unless he vacates Royal Lodge swiftly. Buckingham Palace has not issued any immediate comments regarding these developments.
