Heckled Over Prince Andrew
The couple’s royal visit took a tense turn during their final engagement of the Scotland tour. Prince William, 43, and Princess Catherine, 44, were arriving at the community pub The Goth in the former mining village of Fallin on Tuesday when an unidentified man began shouting at them from the crowd.
Video footage from the scene shows the protester repeatedly demanding answers about William’s uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and his connections to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
“How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?” the man shouted as the couple greeted locals outside the pub.
“Have you been covering up for Andrew?”
Members of the public eventually drowned out the heckler, while security staff approached him and urged him to calm down, reminding him that there were “children around.”
Carrying On With the Visit
Despite the outburst, William and Catherine appeared unfazed and continued inside the community-run pub. Once inside, they sat with local residents to discuss the importance of pubs as social hubs within communities.
Fittingly, William joined a group of men chatting about the friendly “slagging off” that often happens among friends.
“A bit of slagging off – we all need that occasionally. It brings us back down to earth,” the future King said, according to The Telegraph.
He also spoke about his desire to support pubs, describing them as “crucial” to human connection and central to community life.
“I want to help pubs. This is the best place to come and get to know each other,” he said. “I grew up in pubs. I absolutely love pubs.”
A Warm Exchange With Locals
While William mingled, Catherine spent time with a group of teachers, who presented her with a crocheted bunny for the couple’s daughter, Princess Charlotte, 10.
She thanked 70-year-old Adele Hodgson for the handmade gift, telling her Charlotte would “absolutely love that. She’s got lots of teddies on her bed.”
As they prepared to leave, Catherine reportedly noticed her husband’s unfinished drink and told him, “You need to finish that.”
William laughed and replied that he wanted to stay on his “best behaviour.”
Earlier in the day, the Prince and Princess visited the National Curling Academy, where they met members of Team GB and Paralympics GB curling teams ahead of the Winter Olympics in March.
King Charles III is also in Scotland, continuing his post-Christmas tradition of staying at Balmoral. The 77-year-old monarch was seen on Monday enjoying a dram of award-winning whisky and hosting a reception for the Scotland Investment Forum.
Similar Protests Faced by the King
King Charles himself has also encountered public heckling over his disgraced brother. During a visit to Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire in October, a protester shouted similar questions about Andrew.
“How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew?” the man yelled.
Footage from the incident shows the King smiling and greeting well-wishers before his expression changed when he heard the protester. Charles did not respond and continued walking as the crowd began chanting “God Save The King” and “Three cheers for the King.”
The monarch later stripped Andrew of his royal titles and removed him from Royal Lodge following renewed scrutiny over his links to Epstein.
Prince Harry’s Separate UK Visit
Meanwhile, neither the King nor the Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to meet with Prince Harry during his time in London for a High Court case against Associated Newspapers Limited.
The 41-year-old, who is based in California, returned to the UK alone over the weekend and attended court in person on Monday.
In written submissions, his barrister David Sherborne told the court that the publisher’s alleged information-gathering methods caused a “massive strain” on Harry’s personal relationships and left him deeply distressed.
Harry is expected to give evidence on Thursday before returning to Montecito, where he lives with his ex-actress wife Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
