Princess Kate and William ignore protest shouts in Scotland

Princess Kate and Prince William were met with an unexpected moment of tension as they arrived at a community pub in Fallin during their visit to Scotland on 20 January. 

As the couple stepped outside The Gothenburg, a protester’s voice cut through the greetings, shouting twice, “How long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?”

The Prince and Princess of Wales offered no reaction, calmly continuing their walkabout and greeting locals gathered outside the venue. 

Video clips circulating online show the couple pressing on unfazed, with Kate smiling and saying, “Very nice to meet you,” as they shook hands.

The interruption came amid a packed day of engagements across Stirling and Falkirk, centred on local heritage and grassroots initiatives. 

The Gothenburg known locally as The Goth is no ordinary pub. 

It operates under the rare Gothenburg system, meaning profits are reinvested into the community rather than pocketed by private owners.

Inside, William met publican Rob Donaldson, who has run the establishment since 2013. 

Donaldson spoke about the importance of community-led spaces before presenting the Prince with a Guinness glass bearing the pub’s logo, along with symbolic shares in the business.

“It’s made my day actually, it’s made my year,” he said later. 

“Keeping the pub alive for the community was my proudest moment until now. Meeting a future king tops it.”

Kate also spent time chatting with locals indoors, turning her attention to the growing pressures faced by schools and families. 

Earlier in the day, the royal couple paid a visit to the National Curling Academy at The Peak in Stirling, where they met Team GB and Paralympic athletes preparing for the upcoming Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games in Milano Cortina.

They stepped onto the ice to try their hand at curling. 

Bruce Mouat, skip of the men’s team praised the visit, saying they were “lovely, encouraging, and more than willing to give curling a go.”