“How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?” a man asked King Charles III, visiting Lichfield Cathedral, near Birmingham, on Monday.
“Did you ask the police to cover up for Andrew?” -the man continued among the small crowd gathered in front of the cathedral. “Should MPs be allowed to debate the royal family in the House of Commons?” In the video released by the Daily Mail, members of the public can also be heard asking the man to be quiet.
As usual and faithful to the “never complain, never explain” so dear to the royal family, the king did not respond. Anti-monarchy protesters have regularly accompanied King Charles’ travels since the start of his reign in September 2022.
The pressure is increasing
In the United Kingdom, pressure continues to increase on Prince Andrew, involved in scandals and the Epstein affair, to leave the 30-room royal residence where he lives in Windsor, west of London, as soon as possible.
The journalists have been camping since Thursday afternoon and again on Sunday morning at the entrance to the Royal Lodge and its 40-hectare estate, where Prince Andrew, brother of King Charles III, has lived for more than 20 years.
According to the British press, Andrés, 65, is in talks with Charles III’s advisors to leave this residence.
Andrew, who had already been excluded from the royal family in 2019, announced on October 17 that he would renounce the use of his royal titles.
But that was not enough to appease critics, especially after Tuesday’s release of the posthumous memoirs of Virginia Giuffre, the lead accuser in the case of child molester Jeffrey Epstein. She says she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, including at least twice when she was 17 years old. The prince has always denied these accusations.
In addition, the Times revealed on Tuesday that the prince had not paid rent since 2003 to live at Royal Lodge and that the lease extended until 2078. He resides there with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Double offensive
This newspaper claims on Sunday that Andrew faces “a double offensive from Parliament and Buckingham Palace aimed at stripping him of his title of duke and banishing him” from Windsor.
According to the Sunday Times, Liberal Democrat MPs plan to hold a debate in the House of Commons on Andrew’s future, defying parliamentary conventions “which generally prevent politicians from criticizing the royal family.”
“We must consider all options (…) to ensure that Parliament can examine this matter properly,” a party source told AFP.
Although the prince has announced that he will renounce the use of his title of duke, an Act of Parliament is needed to officially remove it.
Furthermore, according to the Daily Mail, Prince William and his wife Kate are preparing to move in the coming days to a new residence, located less than two kilometers from the Royal Lodge. The heir to the throne would like, according to this newspaper, for Andrés to have previously left the Royal Lodge.
This property is part of the Crown Estate, an organization that manages Crown real estate on behalf of British taxpayers.
Source: BFM TV
