King Charles III and Queen Camilla were confronted by shouts about Andrew’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during a public walkabout in the Essex village of Dedham, as renewed scrutiny over the Duke of York followed the royal couple on an official visit.
As the King walked along the route, separated from the crowd by metal barriers, a heckler shouted: “Charles, Charles, have you pressurised the police to start investigating Andrew?” Police officers were seen approaching the man shortly afterwards and escorting him away from the barriers.
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Moments later, a news reporter standing beside a cameraman appeared to attempt to ask the King a question about his brother. Charles was then guided across to the far side of the road, away from the crowds, before continuing the walkabout.
Earlier in the visit, the King and Queen met local groups inside the Sun Inn pub, where they also visited the kitchen and watched as Queen Camilla tried her hand at cutting ravioli. Toward the end of the walkabout, they paused to listen to a choir of schoolchildren singing in the street before briefly entering the Essex Rose Teahouse, where the King unveiled a plaque and cut a cake.
After returning outside, the royal couple spoke to more members of the public before departing the village in a Bentley.
According to the East Anglian Daily Times, photographs of Andrew, formally Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, released as part of the so-called Epstein files had been scattered around the streets of Dedham ahead of the visit. A video showing the printed images laid out on the ground circulated on social media before the King and Queen arrived.
The images reportedly included photographs of the former duke crouching over an unidentified woman. Another image, also cited in the Epstein files, appears to show him touching a fully clothed woman’s abdomen. The photographs are undated, and it remains unclear where they were taken.
Among those who turned out to see the royal couple was Adrian Sharpe, a 62-year-old handyman from Dedham.
“It was nice and casual really for a village event, obviously high security,” Sharpe said. Asked about the heckler, he added: “I think it’s pointless really as what Andrew’s done is what Andrew’s done, it’s not what King Charles has done, is it?”
The incident comes days after Andrew moved from Royal Lodge, his Windsor mansion, to the King’s Sandringham Estate on Tuesday. On the same day, Thames Valley Police confirmed they were assessing allegations that a woman was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Prince Andrew. The Duke of York has consistently and strongly denied any wrongdoing.