William and Kate ‘deeply concerned’ by Jeffrey Epstein scandal

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been “deeply concerned” by the ongoing revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Kensington Palace has said.

It is the first time the views of William and Kate have been known about the crisis, that has engulfed the monarchy and Westminster, and their thoughts “remain focused on the victims”.

The prince is en route to Saudi Arabia for the start of a three-day tour of the Middle East country, spending his first day with the Saudi ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Ahead of the visit, a Kensington Palace spokesperson said: “I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continued revelations.

“Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”

With the start of the tour just a few hours away, there was a real sense from Kensington Palace that they wanted the position of the prince and princess to be known, so William could focus on the trip – likely to be the biggest diplomatic test to date of his overseas visits in support of the UK.

Much of the work of the royal family in recent weeks has been overshadowed by the ongoing Epstein scandal, reignited when a huge tranche of millions of documents associated with Epstein were released by US authorities.

These sparked a string of allegations against William’s uncle and have led to police launching a investigation into Lord Peter Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office.

Among the claims are that a second woman was sent to the UK by paedophile Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew, and also that the former prince and Epstein asked an exotic dancer for a threesome in Epstein’s Florida home.

The latest allegation is that Andrew shared confidential reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore in his role as the UK’s trade envoy.

The former duke, who was stripped of his titles by the King last year, has always denied any wrongdoing and last week he finally left Royal Lodge for the Sandringham estate.

The Duke of Edinburgh was the first royal to publicly speak out since the Epstein documents were released, saying last week that it was important to “remember the victims” when asked how he was “coping” since the US department of justice’s document dump.

William and Kate supported the King’s decision in December to strip his brother Andrew of his Prince and Duke of York titles and HRH style, a move that ended his public life.

The couple also shared the sentiments of the Buckingham Palace statement at the time which said: “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”

In 2022, the late Queen stripped her son Andrew of his honorary military roles and he gave up using his HRH style in a dramatic fallout from the civil sex case brought by Virginia Giuffre, who died last year from suicide.

Ms Giuffre alleged she was forced to have sex three times with Andrew, which he vehemently denies, including when she was 17 and also during an orgy, after she was trafficked by Epstein.

Andrew paid millions to settle the civil sex case with her in 2022, despite insisting he had never met her.