At a Glance
- Prince William and Kate Middleton were heckled in Scotland about Prince Andrew’s ties to Jeffrey Epstein
- The heckler yelled, “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”
- The couple did not respond and continued their visit
- Why it matters: The incident highlights public anger over the royal family’s handling of the Andrew scandal
The Prince and Princess of Wales faced a rare public confrontation during a visit to Scotland, when a heckler demanded answers about Prince Andrew’s long-standing connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The Confrontation
On January 20, 2026, Prince William and Princess Kate arrived at The Gothenburg pub in the village of Fallin, Stirling, for a scheduled engagement. As the couple greeted locals outside, a man shouted repeatedly:
> “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”
Footage released by Republic-an anti-monarchy campaign group-shows the heckler continuing:
> “Have you been covering up for Andrew?”
Witnesses told the critic to “shut up,” and a security officer intervened:
> “That’s alright, sir, that’s enough. There are children here. I’m a police officer, alright?”
William and Kate did not acknowledge the outburst and continued their walkabout.
Royal Fallout Timeline
Andrew’s relationship with Epstein has triggered cascading consequences since 2019.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| November 2019 | Andrew steps back from royal duties after BBC interview |
| January 2022 | Queen Elizabeth strips military titles and patronages |
| February 2022 | Out-of-court settlement with Virginia Giuffre |
| October 2025 | Andrew announces he will stop using royal titles |
| November 3, 2025 | King Charles removes princely title via Letters Patent |
Stripped of Status
Andrew, now referred to as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is King Charles’s younger brother and Prince William’s uncle. In October 2025, the King took the unprecedented step of revoking his royal style, titles, and honors after consulting Prince William and other family members.
The move followed renewed scrutiny sparked by the posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, Nobody’s Girl, published on October 21, 2025. The book repeated her claim that Epstein trafficked her to Andrew and quoted her assertion that the prince “believed having sex with me was his birthright.”
Leaked emails in October also revealed Andrew remained in contact with Epstein after claiming he had cut ties.
Legal and Financial Repercussions
Epstein died in a federal detention facility in August 2019 while awaiting sex-trafficking charges. Giuffre’s civil suit against Andrew proceeded until he settled for an undisclosed sum in February 2022. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025 at age 41.
Key Takeaways
- The Stirling heckling shows public frustration over the royal family’s perceived silence on Andrew
- King Charles and Prince William supported stripping Andrew of his titles
- The scandal continues to shadow the monarchy during routine engagements
