Former Prince Andrew was accosted by a masked man near his home in Norfolk on Wednesday, according to police and court details that have sharpened concern around his security. Norfolk Police said officers arrived after reports that a man was behaving in an intimidating manner in the village.

Police arrested Alex Jenkinson on suspicion of a public order offence and possession of an offensive weapon after the encounter near the property known as Marsh Farm. Jenkinson, 39, of Stowmarket, Suffolk, is accused of approaching Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor while wearing a mask and shouting abuse at him as he walked his dogs near home.

Jenkinson was later charged with two counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour to harass someone or cause alarm or distress, and with failing to provide a specimen of blood in custody. He pleaded not guilty on May 8. The case has now become more than a brief village disturbance: it has turned into another public test of how much protection Andrew receives, and whether it is enough.

That question has gained urgency because the confrontation happened in plain sight and because the man at its centre was walking alone, with the detail of a masked attacker shouting abuse feeding wider unease about his safety. British broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard said the “recent scary masked man confrontation has left him shaken and worried for his safety,” adding that there are rumours he wants his old security back. She also said, “His private protection officer dealt with the confrontation and aftermath.”

Andrew’s circumstances remain unusual. He was released after his arrest in the UK on suspicion of misconduct in office over his ties with Jeffrey Epstein, and experts and broadcasters are now openly discussing whether his security should be increased after this latest incident. Chard said, “The King is understood to be funding Andrews ‘exile’ at Marsh Farm, including former royal protection cops,” and added that “They are not armed.” She also said there are fences, CCTV and a security gate at the property, with “allegedly some stay in a cabin in the back garden.”

Ian Pelham Turner said King Charles “partly funds his private security team” and that “one of his paid-for private security team was with him” at the time. Turner added that security “may have to be increased to strengthen his safety.” The answer to the immediate question is already clear: Andrew was not left to face the confrontation alone, but the episode has exposed how vulnerable he remains even with protection in place.