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In the course of a visit to Lichfield Cathedral on Monday, the King was confronted by a protester who asked him about Prince Andrew's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The individual inquired how long the King had been aware about his sibling's association with Epstein, and also raised doubts about whether he had instructed the authorities to "cover up" for Prince Andrew.

Despite the heckling, there were crowds of well-wishers and cheers for the King, who was in Staffordshire for an event.

The Duke of York's connections with Epstein have been under intense scrutiny in the past few weeks. The prince, who gave up his titles earlier this month, has strongly denied any misconduct.

"For how long have you been aware about Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein? Did you request the police to cover up for him?"

The monarch ignored the questions but carried on greeting supporters, some of whom chanted "Long live the King". One supporter can be overheard asking him for a embrace.

A female bystander outside the venue was also observed telling the protester to "leave" and to "be quiet".

Scandal Revived by Posthumous Publication

The scandal over the Duke of York's links to Epstein has been revived by misconduct claims repeated in Virginia Giuffre's posthumously-published book.

In the memoir, Ms Giuffre says she had sexual encounters with the royal on three separate occasions, including one instance with Epstein and "several other minors"

Prince Andrew, who reached a out-of-court agreement with the plaintiff in recent years, has consistently denied any misconduct. In 2019, he told a news program he did not remember meeting Ms Giuffre "at all", and that they "did not have any sort of sexual contact."

New Inquiries About Finances and Living Arrangements

But recently, fresh questions have been raised about how he is able to finance his lifestyle despite not being a working royal.

The disclosure that he has only ever paid a token annual rent on his Royal Lodge has intensified the examination over his living arrangements - even though he made significant contributions up front, including for improvements.

The Liberal Democrats said he should be summoned front of MPs to give testimony about his rental agreement of his residence.

But last Thursday, the authorities refused to give parliamentarians time to debate the royal's status or his residence, despite growing pressure for scrutiny.

Buckingham Palace has not issued a statement on whether the Duke of York might relocate of his home - or where he might reside.

Related Topics

• Prince Andrew
• British Monarchy
• King Charles III