William and Kate speak out for first time over Andrew involvement in Epstein files
Kensington Palace said the Prince and Princess of Wales were “deeply concerned” by ongoing revelations about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
William and Kate are revealing their views on the crisis engulfing the monarchy and Westminster for the first time, with their thoughts “focused on the victims”.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales are deeply concerned by the ongoing revelations.
“His thoughts are focused on the victims.”
The ongoing Epstein scandal was reignited by the release of millions of documents related to Epstein by US authorities. The documents sparked allegations against William’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and led police to launch an investigation into Lord Peter Mandelson for alleged abuse of public office.
The allegations include allegations that a second woman was sent to England by pedophile Epstein to have sex with Andrew, and that the former prince and Epstein solicited an exotic dancer for a threesome at Epstein’s Florida home.
The latest allegation is that Andrew shared secret reports about his official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore as Britain’s trade envoy.
The former duke, who was stripped of his titles by the King last year, has always denied any wrongdoing.
Buckingham Palace had said Andrew would leave the Royal Lodge in early 2026, but the former prince currently lives at Sandringham Manor, which is privately owned by King Charles.
Andrew had previously questioned whether the photo of him putting his arm around Guiffre was fake and claimed he had never met her. But he said he was made to have sex with her when he was young.
But in a 2015 email from Epstein’s partner Ghislaine Maxwell, she said: “I was in London in 2001. [redacted] I met many of my friends, including Prince Andrew. “A photo was taken that I think he wanted to show to his friends and family.”
The Duke of Edinburgh has become the first royal to speak publicly since the release of the Epstein papers, saying it was important to “remember the victims” when asked last week how he was “coping” since the US justice department trashed the documents.
William and Kate’s announcement comes as the prince heads to Saudi Arabia for a three-day tour of the Middle Eastern country, spending the first day with Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
With only a few hours before the tour was due to begin, Kensington Palace wanted the prince and princess’ location known so William could focus on the trip; This was likely to be the biggest diplomatic test yet of his foreign visits in support of Britain.
