King Charles has made his first intervention in the latest round of revelations in the Epstein scandal, saying Buckingham Palace is ready to support the police as they consider allegations against his brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
“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,” a Palace spokesman said.
“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,” he said.
Thames Valley Police confirmed it is assessing whether there are grounds to investigate a complaint by the anti-monarchy group Republic, which reported Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets.
Emails from the recently-released batch of Epstein files appear to show the former prince passing on reports of visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam and confidential details of investment opportunities.
After the trips, on 30 November 2010, he appears to have forwarded official reports of those visits sent by his then-special adviser, Amit Patel, to Epstein, five minutes after receiving them.
There were also details of investment opportunities in Afghanistan, described as “confidential”, which appear to have been passed on to Epstein on 24 December 2010.
Under official guidance, trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial, or political information about their official visits.
The Buckingham Palace statement says that the King and Queen’s “thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse”.
Earlier on Monday the King had travelled to Clitheroe where a heckler shouted: “How long have you known about Andrew?” The rest of the crowd booed the man putting the question.
The Buckingham Palace intervention follows an earlier statement from the spokesperson for the Prince and Princess of Wales, saying they were “deeply concerned” by the latest revelations about Epstein.
“Their thoughts remain focused on the victims,” said a Kensington Palace spokesperson, ahead of Prince William’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week.
Since the release of three million more documents related to Epstein, there has been growing pressure on Mountbatten-Windsor, with claims a second woman was sent to the UK by Jeffrey Epstein for a sexual encounter with him.
Photographs appearing to show him kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the ground were also included in the latest batch of files.
There has also been embarrassment for his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. Emails signed “Sarah” show appeals for support and money from sex offender Epstein.
