Prince Charles Ignores Question About Brother Andrew Amid Sexual Assault Lawsuit; Twitter Reacts

Prince Charles ignored a reporter who asked him for an update about his younger brother, Prince Andrew.

The Prince of Wales stepped out in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Friday, just a day after Buckingham Palace released a statement stripping the Duke of York of his royal patronages and military affiliations. One reporter approached the heir apparent about his controversial sibling, but Prince Charles avoided it by simply ignoring the question.

James Matthews of Sky News Scotland shared a video of the incident on Twitter. Royal correspondent Chris Ship also shared the clip on his account.

"Not much of a response from Prince Charles when he was asked today about the decision by the Royal Family to remove his brother, Prince Andrew’s military affiliations and royal patronages," Ship wrote before adding, "When I say not much of a response, it was actually zero."

Several netizens reacted to the video and shared mixed opinions on Prince Charles' gesture. Some slammed the Duke of Cornwall and called him rude. One claimed that dodging the question made him look "aloof."

"Bloody rude of Charles. He wants to be head of state, doesn't want to answer questions from the press," Republic commented on Ship's tweet.

"More of this. He needs to be challenged on so many things," the same account wrote on Matthews' post.

"Unwise to ignore these questions. Makes him look aloof and obtuse. The people deserve more than silence," a different user added.

However, more approved of what the Prince of Wales did. For them, it was not the appropriate place and time to discuss the matter. Also, the palace already issued a statement, and Prince Charles had nothing to do with Prince Andrew's legal battle. Many netizens agreed he made the wise decision by ignoring the question.

"A zero response, in this case, is appropriate. He cannot talk about any of this while lawyers etc are involved," one commented.

"Really, is the height of rudeness calling out random questions that have been officially addressed already, whilst a man is going about his work! There's nothing left to say. A decision was made & implemented so end of story," another netizen wrote.

"Which is the smart move, legally. Anything a royal says publicly about it can/will be used by either," a third user added.

Buckingham Palace released a statement last week after a private meeting between Her Majesty and Prince Andrew, announcing that the Queen would be stripping her second son of his royal title and military honors.

"With the Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen," the announcement read. "The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

An unnamed source also told the New York Post the Queen had informed the Duke of York that he would no longer be known as His Royal Highness. "Son, you’re grounded," the monarch allegedly said.

Prince Andrew is facing a sexual assault lawsuit from Virginia Giuffre. The royal tried to have the case dismissed, but a New York judge ruled that it should continue.