King Charles III encountered an unprecedented surge of public anger on Monday as demonstrators shouted at the monarch and other senior royals during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, demanding clarity about what they knew concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The March 9, 2026 event was the largest joint public appearance by the royal family since Andrew’s arrest on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The ex-Duke of York, who has been stripped of his princely titles, was held for 11 hours before being released under investigation.
Members of the anti-monarchy group Republic assembled outside Westminster Abbey waving bright yellow placards reading “What did you know?” and “Charles, what are you hiding?” As the royal motorcade drew near, protesters chanted “Charlie, Charlie, time to go!” loud enough to cut through the Abbey’s bells.
Protesters displayed enlarged photos of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre and a disturbing image recently released in Epstein files showing Andrew on his hands and knees over a woman lying face up. Other signs read “Not my king,” “Down with the Crown,” and “Ditch the Duchies.”
King Charles, 77, attended the service with Queen Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton, presenting a united front despite the unrest outside. Princess Anne, the Duke of Gloucester, and other senior royals also took part in the ceremony honoring the 56-nation Commonwealth and its 2.7 billion people.
Graham Smith, Republic’s CEO, harshly criticized the royal family’s silence. “Charles and William—what did you know about Andrew? It’s a simple question, but one the royals have failed to answer,” Smith said to reporters. “It’s inconceivable to think that they knew nothing about the allegations against Andrew.”
The protests reflect rising public anger over Andrew’s continued access to royal residences amid mounting allegations. Police arrested the 66-year-old shortly after 8 a.m. at Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, where he had been staying alone after leaving his 30-room house earlier in February. He was taken away in an unmarked vehicle to Aylsham police station in Norfolk.
The detention was the first arrest of a senior British royal in modern times—the last similar occurrence being King Charles I’s arrest in 1647 and later execution for high treason in 1649. Officers also searched Royal Lodge in Windsor, Andrew’s former residence before he was ordered to leave.
After the arrest, King Charles released a carefully phrased statement that notably did not defend his brother, using Andrew’s legal name instead of a royal title and saying he learned “with the deepest concern” about the detention. “Let me state clearly: the law must take its course,” Charles said, adding that authorities had the royal family’s “full and wholehearted support and co-operation.”
Robert Jobson, author of “The Windsor Legacy,” stressed the seriousness of the situation, warning that if revelations show what family members, police, or staff knew, “heads must roll.”
A palace source highlighted how unprecedented the crisis is. While other controversies have troubled the monarchy, the insider said, an internal matter leading to an arrest is fundamentally different and far more serious.
The scandal focuses on Andrew’s association with Epstein during his time as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 to 2011. Recently released FBI files indicate a woman told investigators she massaged Andrew at Epstein’s New York home before the prince returned the favor.
Andrew reached a financial settlement with Virginia Giuffre in 2022 after she accused him of sexual abuse on three occasions. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April 2025 at 41, had been one of the most prominent survivors to speak out about Epstein and his associates. Andrew has repeatedly denied the claims and told BBC Newsnight in 2019 that he did not recall meeting Giuffre “at all.”
This was not the first time King Charles was heckled over the affair. In October 2025, a protester challenged the monarch during a visit to Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire, asking whether he had asked police to cover for Andrew. Royal supporters met that protest with chants of “God Save The King” and told the heckler to “shut up.”
Inside Westminster Abbey on Monday, King Charles delivered his Commonwealth Day speech without addressing the disturbance outside, calling the voluntary union “a force for good” in a fractured world and stressing its focus on unity and service.
Meanwhile, Andrew remains at Wood Farm under investigation. His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson left the country after the arrest, while their daughter Princess Eugenie was skiing in Switzerland when the news emerged. Princess Beatrice has kept a low profile throughout.
Smith closed his remarks outside the Abbey with a blunt prediction, suggesting that support for the monarchy is waning and Republic’s influence is growing—making abolition a matter of when rather than if.
