King Charles will assist police with any formal investigation involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, following the latest release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday.
“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 statement read. “As was previously stated, Their Majesties’ thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse.”
According to the BBC, Thames Valley Police are assessing “whether there are grounds to investigate” a complaint by the antimonarchy group Republic, “who have reported Andrew to the force for suspected misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets.”
Following the recent release of over 3 million files related to Epstein, Mountbatten-Windsor appears to have sent sensitive and confidential documents to Epstein while he was working as a trade envoy for Britain.
While Mountbatten-Windsor has so far refused to comment on the contents of the recently released documents, other members of the royal family have been dragged into the scandal. A representative for Mountbatten-Windsor did not return Vanity Fair’s request for comment.
Prince William, who is currently on a diplomatic trip to Saudi Arabia, was asked by a reporter during a visit to a sports complex in Riyadh, “Sir, to what extent do you think the royal family has done enough around the Andrew and Epstein issue?” He did not respond.
On Monday, William and Kate Middleton released a statement hours before the prince landed in Saudi Arabia, saying they were “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations” and that “their thoughts remain focused on the victims.” It was the first comment from the royal couple regarding Mountbatten-Windsor’s involvement with the disgraced late financier.
Meanwhile, sources close to King Charles say that while Charles feels vindicated for stripping his brother of his titles, there is concern that more is yet to come.
“There’s a sense of not knowing what is coming next and that is destabilizing. The king has done everything he can; he has stripped Andrew of his titles, removed him from his home, and is trying to keep Andrew out of the picture, but it is proving to be impossible,” an insider tells Vanity Fair.
Dickie Arbiter, former palace press officer to the late Queen Elizabeth II, described the situation as the worst crisis for the monarchy since the abdication.
The king has stripped Andrew of his titles, Arbiter notes, “but his hands are tied. Andrew is still the Duke of York—he’s not allowed to use it—only Parliament can take it away.” “As [for the] royal family, the show must go on, but this is a major scandal and one that is, I believe, the worst since the abdication. Essentially Andrew appears to have lied his way through this, which is very damaging to the royal family.”
Follow