- - Kate Middleton and Prince William Face Heckler Asking About Ex-Prince Andrew's Ties to Jeffrey Epstein

Janine HenniJanuary 22, 2026 at 4:48 AM

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(Left) Prince William and Kate Middleton at the National Curling Academy in Stirling, Scotland on Jan. 20, 2026; (Right) Prince Andrew at the Duchess of Kent's funeral at Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 16, 2025 -

Kate Middleton and Prince William were confronted by a heckler in Scotland on Jan. 20

"How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?" the critic called, referencing the former Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein

The Prince and Princess of Wales didn't react to the heckler yelling

Kate Middleton and Prince William were met with a heckler during their latest engagement, where the critic called out about the former Prince Andrew's ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were heckled during their joint visit to Scotland on Jan. 20, with the person calling out after they arrived at The Gothenburg pub in the village of Fallin.

Footage of the moment was shared on X by Republic, a group calling for the abolishment of the monarchy in the U.K.

"How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?" the heckler yelled as Prince William, 43, and Princess Kate, 44, shook hands with people outside of the pub.

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Kate Middleton and Prince William arrive for a visit to The Gothenburg Pub in Fallin, Scotland on Jan. 20, 2026.

The Prince and Princess of Wales didn't react to the heckler, and some people around the heckler told him to "shut up."

"Have you been covering up for Andrew?" the critic yelled again. A man then walked in front of the camera, and a security officer came over from the side of the road that the royals were on.

"That's alright, sir, that's enough. There are children here. I'm a police officer, alright?" he said. The camera then panned around and to the ground before ending.

The former Prince Andrew is King Charles' younger brother and Prince William's uncle. In October, the King, 77, took the unprecedented step of stripping Andrew's royal style, titles and honors amid renewed scrutiny around the alleged extent of his connection to the late Epstein.

The former Duke of York's relationship with the disgraced financier set his step back from public life in motion in 2019. Andrew, who is now called Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after being stripped of his royal titles, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

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(Left) Prince Andrew attends the Easter service at St. George's Chapel on April 20, 2025 in Windsor, England; (Right) Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2004.

Epstein died in prison while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges in August 2019. That November, Andrew stepped back from his royal role following a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein and talked at length about his involvement with him.

Queen Elizabeth later stripped her second son of his military titles and patronages in January 2022 after a judge rejected Andrew's attempt to have Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. He settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum the following month, and she died by suicide at age 41 in April 2025.

Andrew's alleged ties to Epstein brought the spotlight on him again in the fall of 2025, sparked by anticipation around the publication of Giuffre's posthumous memoir, Nobody's Girl. The book drew new attention to her claim that Epstein trafficked her to the British prince, including the allegation that Andrew "believed having sex with me was his birthright." Emails leaked in October also showed that Andrew was in touch with Epstein after he had claimed to cut off contact with him.

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Prince Andrew rides at Windsor Castle on Jan. 19, 2026.

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On Oct. 17, four days before the memoir was published on Oct. 21, Andrew announced that he was discontinuing use of his royal titles and honors as it distracted from the work of the King and the royal family. PEOPLE understood that King Charles and Prince William were among the family members consulted on the decision.

On Oct. 30, King Charles started the process of removing his younger brother's princely title and honors. The transition was made official in a Letters Patent dated Nov. 3 and he was also ordered to surrender the lease of his longtime Royal Lodge home.

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