Buckingham Palace has said it is ready to help Thames Valley Police investigate allegations relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The palace said in a statement that it would cooperate fully if approached by investigators.
“While the specific contentious claims are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to deal with, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we are prepared to support them as you would expect,” a spokesman said.
The statement added that the king had made clear his position on the seriousness of the allegations.
“The King has made clear, by word and unprecedented action, his deep concern at the allegations that continue to emerge about Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct.”
Allegations linked to the newly released Epstein files
Thames Valley Police are investigating claims that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential government documents with Epstein while serving as Britain’s trade envoy.
Emails released as part of the latest tranche of the Epstein files appear to show Andrew forwarding what are described as “visit reports” relating to Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen after a trip to Southeast Asia in late 2010.
Another email exchange dated Christmas Day 2010 appears to show him sharing “confidential” information about investments in Afghanistan with Epstein.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.
William and Kate break their silence
In their first statement on the ongoing Epstein scandal, the Prince and Princess of Wales said they were “deeply concerned” by the latest revelations.
A Kensington Palace spokesman told reporters in Riyadh ahead of Prince William’s arrival in Saudi Arabia: “I can confirm that the Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the ongoing revelations. Their thoughts remain with the victims.”
The statement marks a remarkable intervention by Wales, who have so far remained publicly silent as the files continued to emerge.
In October, following the decision to strip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles and residence, Buckingham Palace said the King and Queen’s “most thoughts” were with victims and survivors – a position Prince William said was fully supported.
The latest statements from both palaces underline the ongoing effort by senior royals to distance themselves from Andrew.
