King Charles stepped in publicly for the first time over the Epstein revelations, pledging Buckingham Palace’s support for any police investigation into allegations involving his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s connection with the convicted sex offender.
Prince Andrew allegedly sent confidential trade reports to Jeffrey Epstein in 2010, after the financier had already been convicted of child sex offences, according to emails included among more than three million pages of documents released last month by the US Justice Department.
In a statement issued on Monday, a palace spokesperson said, “The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct.”
“While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police, we stand ready to support them as you would expect,” the spokesperson added, as per Reuters.
EMAILS RAISE QUESTIONS OVER CONFIDENTIAL INFO
The email revealed that Andrew passed on briefings about visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, as well as confidential information about potential investment opportunities in Afghanistan.
According to the files, some of the material was forwarded within minutes of being received from his then adviser, raising questions about whether confidentiality rules were breached.
Under official guidelines, trade envoys are required to protect sensitive commercial and political information. Andrew was serving as a government trade representative at the time.
He has consistently denied wrongdoing and has not commented publicly since the latest documents were released.
Thames Valley Police confirmed that it is assessing whether there are grounds for a formal investigation. Officers are reviewing a complaint submitted by the anti-monarchy group Republic, which alleges suspected misconduct in public office and possible breaches of official secrecy laws.
ROYAL FAMILY DISTANCES ITSELF
Other senior members of the royal family have also voiced concern over the latest developments.
A spokesperson for Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales said they were “deeply concerned” by the continuing revelations.
“Their thoughts remain focused on the victims,” the spokesperson said, ahead of William’s official visit to Saudi Arabia.
Earlier on Monday, as the King arrived in Clitheroe in northern England, a member of the public shouted: “How long have you known about Andrew?” The remark was met with boos from the surrounding crowd.
ANDREW’S FALL FROM ROYAL STATUS
Andrew was forced to step back from public duties in 2019 following criticism over his friendship with Epstein. In 2022, he reached a financial settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse when she was a teenager. He denied the allegations.
Giuffre died by suicide last year.
In October 2025, after an earlier wave of Epstein-related disclosures, Andrew was stripped of his remaining royal titles. More recently, he was asked to leave his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor and relocate to a private royal estate.
The impact of the Epstein files has extended beyond the royal family, creating political pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The crisis centres on his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States, after it emerged that Mandelson also appeared to have shared sensitive government material with Epstein in 2009 and 2010.
Police are reviewing allegations of misconduct in public office linked to those disclosures.
Source: India Today
--Agencies
