LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate said on Monday they were deeply concerned by the revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files amid further damning disclosures about the heir-to-the-throne’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles who had already been cast out of the royal inner circle over his close relationship with Epstein, has faced fresh scrutiny since the recent publication of millions of new documents relating to the late convicted U.S. sex offender.
While Charles and his wife Camilla said in October that their thoughts and sympathies were with the victims and survivors of abuse, Monday’s comment by the Prince and Princess of Wales is the most pointed message so far delivered by the royal family on the Epstein scandal.
“I can confirm the prince and princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations,” a spokesperson for William and Kate told reporters ahead of the prince’s arrival in Riyadh for a high-profile trip. “Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
THOUGHTS WITH VICTIMS
Mountbatten-Windsor, 65, the second son of the late Queen Elizabeth, has faced years of scrutiny over his friendship with Epstein, and in 2022 settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre which accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager. Giuffre died by suicide in April.
He has always denied any wrongdoing and not responded to requests for comment since the latest release of Epstein files, but his relationship with Epstein has cost him his role in the royal family, titles and home.
He was forced to quit all official royal duties in 2019 and in October Charles removed his title of prince. Last week, he was forced to move out of his royal mansion.
In the latest batch of files released in the U.S., emails suggest he shared official British trade documents with Epstein in 2010, after Epstein’s conviction for child sex crimes, leaking information from his then-official role as a government envoy.
The documents appear to show that Andrew forwarded Epstein reports about Vietnam, Singapore and other places that he had been sent in relation to an official trip.
Trade envoys are usually barred from sharing sensitive or commercial documents under strict confidentiality rules.
NEW ALLEGATION
The Metropolitan Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday asking whether they would open an investigation into Andrew’s sharing of information.
Thames Valley Police said last week they were reviewing a new allegation against Andrew involving a woman being taken to an address in Windsor in light of the latest Epstein files.
Over the last 10 days, revelations from the Epstein files have engulfed British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in what is widely viewed as the biggest crisis of his premiership. Starmer appointed an acquaintance of Epstein, Peter Mandelson, as ambassador to the United States.
Like Andrew, it appears that Mandelson also shared sensitive government files from 2009 and 2010 with Epstein and police are investigating claims of misconduct in public office.
(Reporting by Michael Holden, Sarah Young and Sam Tabahriti; editing by Mark Heinrich and Aidan Lewis)
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