Prince William and Kate Middleton said they are “deeply concerned” about the fresh revelations about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s links to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The 65-year-old uncle of the Prince of Wales had already weathered a storm of criticism for his links to Epstein when the Department of Justice released millions more documents related to the disgraced financier. The dump provided yet more headaches for Andrew, who has had his royal titles removed and been spirited out of his grand home for dragging the British monarchy through the mud.
More revelations in the documents have led the Prince and Princess of Wales to take the unprecedented step of green-lighting a public statement on the matter. Speaking to journalists in Saudi Arabia, where William, 43, is preparing for a three-day official visit, a Kensington Palace spokesman said the pair are “deeply concerned.”
They said: “I can confirm that the prince and princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
The latest DOJ records show that during his decade as a U.K. trade envoy, Andrew repeatedly shared confidential government documents with Epstein, including material related to a business opportunity in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.
In some cases, Andrew appears to have forwarded sensitive information to Epstein within minutes of receiving it himself.
The correspondence also shows that weeks after Epstein was released to house arrest following a prison sentence for sex offenses, he emailed Andrew to set up a meeting and mentioned inviting another guest, writing: “Add one more. Romanian very cute.”
The next day, Epstein followed up with: “Great fun, more later,” to which Andrew appears to have replied: “Yes please!”
A friend of Andrew’s daughter, Eugenie, told the Daily Beast’s royal correspondent, Tom Sykes, last week that calling the situation difficult is “the understatement of the year,” adding that the latest revelations have been deeply upsetting.
The saga has forced King Charles to address the “Andrew Problem” by moving his younger brother out of the Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, to Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate in Norfolk.
A friend of the king described the situation as “a nightmare.”
Andrew denies all allegations of wrongdoing.
Amid the fallout from the DOJ’s latest document dump, the Metropolitan Police said last week that it has not opened a new inquiry into Andrew following the latest document release.
