King Charles III was met with an unprecedented surge of public anger on Monday, March 9, 2026, as demonstrators heckled the monarch and other senior royals during the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey, demanding explanations about what they knew concerning Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The event was the royal family’s largest public appearance since Andrew’s arrest on February 19 on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former Duke of York, who has been stripped of his princely titles, spent 11 hours in custody before being released under investigation.
Members of the anti-monarchy group Republic convened outside Westminster Abbey, waving bright yellow placards that read “What did you know?” and “Charles, what are you hiding?” As the royal motorcade drew near, protesters chanted “Charlie, Charlie, time to go!” loudly enough to cut through the Abbey’s bell tolling.
Protesters displayed enlarged photos of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, along with another troubling image from recently released Epstein documents 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 disturbances outside. Princess Anne, the Duke of Gloucester, and other senior royals also took part in the ceremony honoring the 56-nation Commonwealth and its roughly 2.7 billion citizens.
Graham Smith, CEO of Republic, issued a blistering critique of 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 told reporters. “It’s inconceivable to think that they knew nothing about the allegations against Andrew.”
The protests reflect mounting public frustration over Andrew’s continued access to royal properties amid growing 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 in early February. He was taken in an unmarked vehicle to Aylsham police station in Norfolk.
The arrest was the first detention of a senior modern British royal — the last similar instance being King Charles I, arrested in 1647 and executed in 1649. Officers also searched Royal Lodge in Windsor, where Andrew had lived before being instructed to vacate the property.
After the arrest, King Charles released a carefully phrased statement that notably did not defend his brother. The king used Andrew’s legal name rather than a royal title, 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 disclosures show what family members, police, or staff knew, “heads must roll.”
A palace source highlighted how unprecedented the crisis is. The insider said other events have unsettled the monarchy, but an internal matter that leads to someone’s arrest is of a very different and far more serious order.
The controversy centers on Andrew’s association with Epstein during his time as the UK’s special representative for international trade and investment from 2001 to 2011. Newly 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 a prominent survivor speaking out against Epstein and his enablers. Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations and told BBC Newsnight in 2019 that he did not remember meeting Giuffre “at all.”
This was not the first time King Charles has been heckled over the scandal. In October 2025, a protester confronted the king during a visit to Lichfield Cathedral in Staffordshire, asking whether he had asked police to cover up for Andrew. That incident prompted royalist counter-chanting of “God Save The King” and calls for the heckler to “shut up.”
Inside Westminster Abbey on Monday, King Charles gave his Commonwealth Day address without referencing the unrest outside. He called the voluntary union “a force for good” in an increasingly divided world, stressing its dedication to unity and service.
Meanwhile, Andrew remains at Wood Farm under investigation. His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson traveled abroad following the arrest, their daughter Princess Eugenie was skiing in Switzerland when the news broke, and Princess Beatrice has kept a low profile.
Smith closed his remarks outside the Abbey with a stark forecast, suggesting that support for the monarchy is declining and the Republic is gaining momentum — making abolition a question of when, not if.