Britain’s King Charles III embraces a well wisher, after his visit to Lichfield Cathedral, in Lichfield. (AP)

A protester on Monday confronted King Charles outside Lichfield Cathedral in northwest England, questioning him about Prince Andrew’s connections to Jeffrey Epstein while the monarch was greeting royal supporters. The incident occurred amid renewed scrutiny of the royal family’s knowledge of Andrew’s ties to the late sex offender.The heckler directly challenged the King, shouting: “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”The protest comes as Prince Andrew, 65, recently announced he would stop using his Duke of York title following years of controversy over his association with Epstein.The protester also questioned potential police involvement, calling out: “Have you asked the police to cover up for Andrew? Should the MPs be allowed to debate the royals in the House of Commons?”The King continued engaging with other members of the public, ignoring the protestor’s remarks.Recent developments have intensified public interest in the matter, including the contents of a posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre, who had accused Prince Andrew of sexual abuse when she was a teenager.Andrew has consistently denied Giuffre’s allegations. He reached an undisclosed settlement in 2022 to resolve a US lawsuit filed by Giuffre, who died by suicide in April.British law enforcement is currently investigating media reports that Andrew requested a police officer to gather compromising information about Giuffre in 2011.The renewed attention to the case has kept the royal family under public scrutiny, despite Andrew’s recent decision to distance himself from his royal title.