During a visit to a cathedral in Staffordshire today, King Charles faced a heckler who confronted him with questions regarding Prince Andrew’s ties with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. The protester vocally inquired about the King’s knowledge of the relationship between Prince Andrew and Epstein, asking whether police had been asked to cover up for the Prince and if the issue should be debated in the House of Commons.

As is customary with the Royal Family’s approach to public criticism—adhering to the mantra of “never complain, never explain”—King Charles remained unperturbed, choosing to ignore the queries hurled his way. He continued his visit without acknowledging the spectator’s words.

Footage capturing this moment was subsequently posted online by Republic, a group campaigning for an end to the monarchy. In contrast to the heckler’s interruption, other attendees at Lichfield Cathedral urged him to “shut up,” while the King continued to mingle with well-wishers, undistracted by the commotion.

In line with the Royal family’s usual response to unwanted questions or criticism – never complain, never explain – the King chose to ignore the heckler, showing no reaction.

Footage of the encounter was shared by the anti-monarchy campaign group Republic.

Other people outside Lichfield Cathedral told the heckler to ‘shut up’ as the King made his way through the crowd, greeting fans and tuning out the chaos.

The man shouted questions about the Prince and convicted sex trafficker Epstein as the King visited Staffordshire

King Charles was heckled by a protester who asked ‘How long did you know about Andrew and Epstein?’ during a cathedral visit today

It comes as the King faces mounting pressure to kick his brother out of his Royal Lodge home where he has lived rent-free for over 20 years. 

Andrew has only paid ‘peppercorn’ rent for the last 20 years, and while he initially tried to dig his heels in by citing the terms of his ‘cast iron’ lease with the Crown Estate, it is understood he will finally move out.

The prince still has 50 years left on his pre-paid lease and it not known exactly how much money he could receive in compensation for the £7.5million he has spent on Royal Lodge renovations.

Last night, it was claimed Andrew and Fergie have finally agreed to leave their sprawling mansion – but have brazenly demanded two homes in return.

The 65-year-old is said to have requested Harry and Meghan’s former home, Frogmore Cottage, while Fergie is eyeing up nearby Adelaide Cottage ahead of William and Kate’s departure next month.

The Prince’s links to Epstein have dominated headlines recently with fresh focus on his sex accuser Virginia Giuffre’s claims after her posthumous book was published.

Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Andrew tried to involve the Metropolitan Police and one of Queen Elizabeth’s most senior aides in a campaign to smear Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of assaulting her as a teenager.

A bombshell email obtained exposed how Andrew asked his taxpayer-funded police bodyguard to investigate the ‘lying’ young woman.

Shockingly, the prince passed on details of her date of birth and social security number, presumably given to him by Epstein.

Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson (pictured in 2019) are facing increased scrutiny over their friendship with Jeffrey Epstein

It comes as the King faces mounting pressure to kick his brother out of his Royal Lodge home (pictured) where he has lived rent-free for over 20 years 

Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein pictured together in Central Park in 2011 

He also claimed Virginia, who took her own life earlier this year, had criminal convictions, a claim which has not been backed up by any evidence or confirmed by police and has been strongly denied by her family.

An earlier email exposé proved that Andrew lied to Buckingham Palace and the British public when he claimed he had cut off all contact with his close friend in December 2010, following Epstein’s release from prison on child-sex charges.

Twelve weeks later, he emailed the paedophile financier to say they were ‘in this together’ and sickeningly expressed his wish to ‘play some more soon’.

His ex wife Sarah Ferguson, who has also been living in Royal Lodge, came under fire in recent weeks as astonishing new emails claimed Epstein had secretly bankrolled her for 15 years.

The convicted paedophile complained to friends about the disgraced duchess’s scrounging ways in messages that suggest his financial support went far beyond the £15,000 she admitted taking from him.

In the previously unseen emails, Epstein reveals Fergie was so desperate to cosy up to him that ‘she was the first to celebrate’ his release from jail ‘with her two daughters in tow’. Princess Beatrice would have been 20 at the time and Eugenie 19, the same age as many of his victims.

The shocking claims are contained in a huge tranche of documents under review by the US Congress. They are set to be released once they have been redacted to protect the identity of hundreds of young girls Epstein raped and sexually abused.

Last month, the MoS revealed how Fergie wrote to Epstein calling him a ‘supreme friend’, just weeks after giving an interview claiming she would ‘never have anything to do with’ the sex offender ever again – reviving the scandal that saw her and Andrew relinquish their titles on Friday.

In the London Evening Standard interview of March 7, 2011 Fergie issued a ‘heartfelt apology’ for accepting £15,000 from Epstein and called it ‘a giant error of judgment’.

The comment angered the financier, who sent an email to his friend, French modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, that day, complaining: ‘The duchess that I have financially helped for 15 years said that she wants nothing to do with a paedophile and child sex abuser. It has caused quite a stir.’

Brunel was later arrested on rape charges and killed himself in jail in 2022, three years after Epstein’s own jail suicide.

Epstein demanded Fergie write him a public letter of apology over the interview and threatened to sue her if she did not.

This is a breaking news story… More to follow.