King Charles was confronted about his brother Prince Andrew’s connection to Jeffrey Epstein during a royal walkabout.

During an away day in Staffordshire on Monday, Oct. 27, the King greeted well-wishers outside Lichfield Cathedral. While shaking hands and chatting with members of the public, one person shouted questions regarding Prince Andrew as the monarch came near.

“How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?” the heckler said, as seen in footage shared on social media by the anti-monarchy group Republic. “Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew? Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew, Charles? What do you think — should the MPs be allowed to debate the royals in the House of Commons?”

King Charles, 76, ignored the comments, continuing to wave and speak with people. After a moment, the monarch was guided away.

Well-wishers were disgruntled with the heckler, telling him to “shut up” and “stop.” In footage shared by The Daily Mail of the incident, one person said, “Now look what you’ve done,” as the King was escorted to the other side to continue the walkabout.

Prince Andrew, 65, announced on Friday, Oct. 17, that he would give up use of his royal titles and honors amid renewed interest in his relationship with Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking charges.

In a statement released by Buckingham Palace on Friday, Queen Elizabeth’s second son said, “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family. I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”

“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me,” he added. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

Prince Andrew stepped back from his public royal role in 2019 following his headline-making BBC interview in which he discussed his relationship with Epstein. Queen Elizabeth then stripped her son of his military titles and patronages in January 2022 after a judge rejected his attempt to have Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against him dismissed. He settled with Giuffre out of court for an undisclosed sum.

Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Prince Andrew has continued to join the royals at family gatherings since, but The Sunday Times recently reported that Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, wouldn’t be welcomed by King Charles for the royal family’s annual Christmas outing at Sandringham this year. Similar to 2024, when Andrew’s Chinese spy scandal made the headlines and Sarah was “enlisted” to keep him from the family festivities, the monarch reportedly asked the pair to keep a low profile at the holidays and celebrate on their own.

A source close to the monarch told the outlet, “You can’t sack someone from being your brother. But this year, if the duke and duchess were both to be as honorable [as last year], it would be very much for the best and the family would not be disappointed, not least to avoid the King having to make any more difficult decisions.”

A new report from The Sun on Oct. 27 stated that amid the criticism, Prince Andrew has allegedly agreed to leave his longtime home of Royal Lodge. However, the deal reportedly calls for him to move into Frogmore Cottage, the former royal home of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, while his ex-wife, who has been living alongside him at the massive mansion in Windsor Great Park despite their 1996 divorce, could move into Adelaide Cottage, which Prince William and Kate Middleton are about to vacate.

“Talks are still ongoing,” a source close to proceedings tells PEOPLE.