The King was heckled about his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's links to Jeffrey Epstein during a high street walkabout on Thursday. Charles and Camilla held umbrellas as they walked in the Essex village of Dedham in the drizzle, with crowds gathered behind metal barriers to meet them, when a heckler appeared to make a reference to the Epstein affair.
A man in the crowd, who was wearing a grey hat and holding a blue umbrella, shouted as the King was near him: "Charles, Charles, have you pressurised the police to start investigating Andrew?"
The monarch, 77, did not appear to hear the man and did not respond, continuing to make his way along a line of well-wishers and shaking hands. Police officers approached the man, who appeared to be of retirement age and was holding an umbrella while filming on his phone, and walked with him away from the barriers.
Shortly afterwards, a news reporter in the crowd – who was beside a cameraman – apparently tried to ask Charles a question about his brother. The King was then led to the far side of the road, away from the crowds, to continue the walkabout. As he departed, several people shouted "God save the King" and "Hip hip hooray".
The visit comes after more documents concerning the convicted sex offender Epstein were released last week by the US Department of Justice, including multiple mentions of Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. On Wednesday, Queen Camilla was put on the spot about the scandal by a reporter from ITV News, but gave no response. So far, Prince Edward has been the only royal to publicly comment, urging people to "remember the victims" during a summit in the UAE.
King Charles and Queen Camilla's day out
Charles and Camilla had earlier met local groups inside the Sun Inn pub and went into the kitchen where Camilla tried her hand at cutting ravioli pasta. She joked that she was better than her husband in the kitchen, with the King admitting he'd "only make a terrible mess". "He's best off making a martini!" Camilla added.
© Alamy Stock PhotoTowards the end of their walkabout, they listened to a choir of schoolchildren in the street, before briefly going into the Essex Rose Teahouse, where Charles unveiled a plaque and cut a cake. He joked: "This is my speciality", as he cut a slice. After going back outside, they spoke to more members of the public before leaving in a Bentley.
Adrian Sharpe, of Dedham, was among the crowds who turned out to see the King and Queen. The 62-year-old handyman said it was "nice and casual really for a village event – obviously high security".
© Alamy Stock PhotoAsked about the heckler, he said: "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? He’s his own person." He said that "they’ve taken the HRH off of Andrew", adding: "What else can they do? Surely it’s a police matter now."
Photographs of Andrew released in the so-called Epstein files appeared to have been scattered around Dedham ahead of Thursday’s visit by the King, the East Anglian Daily Times reported.
