Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate said on Monday they were deeply concerned by revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files amid further damning disclosures about the heir-to-the-throne's uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The younger brother of King Charles, already 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 US 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 was the most pointed message so far from the royal family on the scandal.
"The prince and princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations," their spokesperson told reporters ahead of the prince's arrival on a high-profile trip to Saudi Arabia. "Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."
Andrew, Epstein embarrassment for king, royals
Mountbatten-Windsor was forced to quit all official royal duties in 2019 over his ties with Epstein and, in October, King Charles removed his title of prince. Last week, he was forced to move out of his royal mansion.
In 2022, he settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre which accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager, through her association with Epstein. Giuffre died by suicide last April.
The 65-year-old second son of the late Queen Elizabeth has always denied any wrongdoing and has not responded to requests for comment since the latest release of Epstein files.
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While the royal family have attempted to distance themselves from Mountbatten-Windsor, he remains a thorn in their side.
"Charles, how long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?" a man shouted from the crowd as the king arrived in Clitheroe, northern England, the second time he had been heckled in a week.
In the latest files released in the US, 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.
Police assess Andrew over possible disclosures to Epstein
Thames Valley Police said the issue had been reported to them and that they were assessing whether to formally investigate, "in line with our established procedures".
Last week, police said they were reviewing a new allegation against Andrew, triggered by the latest files, involving a woman being taken to an address in Windsor near London, where he has lived on the royal estate.
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Over the last 10 days, revelations from the files have also engulfed Prime Minister Keir Starmer in what is widely viewed as the biggest crisis of his premiership for having appointed Peter Mandelson, an acquaintance of Epstein, as ambassador to the U.S.
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.
