By Michael Holden
LONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Buckingham Palace said on Monday it was ready to support any police investigation into King Charles’ younger brother after emails suggested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor may have shared confidential British business documents with Jeffrey Epstein.
Mountbatten-Windsor, already expelled from the royal inner circle because of his close relationship with Epstein, faced new scrutiny from the recent publication of millions of new documents related to the late American sex offender.
“The king has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his deep concern about allegations that continue to come to light regarding the conduct of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor,” a palace spokesman said.
ROYAL FAMILY READY TO BRING BACK ANDREW’S INVESTIGATION
In the latest files released in the US, the emails suggest he shared official British business documents with Epstein in 2010, following Epstein’s conviction for child sex offences, which leaked information from his then role as an official government envoy.
The documents appear to show that Andrew sent Epstein reports about Vietnam, Singapore and other places, which he was sent in connection with an official trip.
Business envoys are generally prohibited from sharing sensitive or commercial documents. 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 the Epstein files.
Thames Valley Police said the matter had been reported to them and they were assessing whether to formally investigate.
The palace added: “While the specific requests in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police, we are prepared to support them as you would expect…
“As it was said before, the thoughts and sympathies of their majesties were, and remain with them, the victims of every form of abuse.”
On Monday, the king’s son, Prince William and his wife Kate, said they were very concerned by Epstein’s continuing revelations, in another message indicated by the royal family.
“Their thoughts remain focused on the victims,” their spokesman told reporters before the prince’s arrival on a high-profile trip to Saudi Arabia.
ANDREW AND EPSTEIN EMBARRASSING THE KING AND THE ROYALS
Mountbatten-Windsor was forced to stop all official royal duties in 2019 because of his links with Epstein and, in October, King Charles removed his title of prince. Last week, he was forced out of his royal mansion.
In 2022, he settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager, through her association with Epstein. Giuffre died by suicide last April.
While the royal family tried to distance themselves from Mountbatten-Windsor, he remains a thorn in their side.
“Charles, how long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?” shouted a man from the crowd as the king arrived in Clitheroe, in the north of England, the second time he was ugly in a week.
Last week, police also said they were reviewing a new allegation against Andrew, triggered by the latest files, involving a woman who was taken to an address in Windsor near London, where he lived on the royal estate.
Over the past 10 days, revelations from the files have also engulfed Prime Minister Keir Starmer in what is seen as the biggest crisis of his premiership for appointing Peter Mandelson, an acquaintance of Epstein, as ambassador to the United States.
Like Andrew, Mandelson also appears to have shared sensitive government files from 2009 and 2010 with Epstein, and police are investigating claims of misconduct in public office.
(Reporting by Michael Holden, Sarah Young and Sam Tabahriti; editing by Aidan Lewis and Kevin Liffey)