LONDON — Prince William and Princess Catherine on Monday expressed concern for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, as the British monarchy seeks to distance itself from revelations of former Prince Andrew’s relationship with the convicted sex offender.
The comments, made by a Kensington Palace spokesman while William was traveling to Saudi Arabia on an official visit, are the first time Britain’s most popular royal has expressed his views on the scandal since the US Justice Department revealed more than 3 million pages of documents in late January how Epstein used a network of rich and powerful people to abuse women and girls.
The spokesman said: “I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales are deeply concerned by the ongoing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
The statement is the latest effort by the British monarchy to respond to the escalating crisis surrounding former Prince Andrew after emails released by the Justice Department showed he had extensive correspondence with Epstein even after the financier was jailed on charges of soliciting prostitution with a minor.
The danger facing the royal family could be seen on Monday when King Charles visited Lancashire, in northwest England. While most of the audience clapped, cheered and waved flags, one person shouted: “How long have you known about Andrew?” BBC reported.
The most recently published emails appear to show that Andrew sent reports to Epstein about a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia, which the prince then undertook as Britain’s envoy for international trade. Earlier, Andrew appeared to share the itinerary for a two-week trip to Hanoi, Saigon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong with Epstein.
In October, the king’s 65-year-old brother was stripped of his royal titles following previous revelations about his relationship with Epstein. He is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
King Mountbatten last week forced Windsor to leave his old home at the Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle, accelerating a move that was first announced in October but was not expected to be completed until later this year. Anger has grown over Mountbatten-Windsor’s living arrangements amid concerns that he is still reaping the benefits of his royal status despite no longer being a working member of the royal family.
Mountbatten-Windsor now lives on King Sandringham’s estate in eastern England. He will live temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage while his permanent home on the estate undergoes repairs. Unlike the Royal Lodge, which is owned by the Crown and run for the benefit of taxpayers, Sandringham is privately owned by the King.
Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein.
Charles and Queen Camilla, who have long campaigned against violence against women, have not commented directly on the newly released Epstein files, with Buckingham Palace instead referring the media to a statement the royal couple made last year as the scandal began to accelerate.
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and deepest sympathy are and will continue to be with the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement issued on October 30, when the king announced that Andrew would be stripped of his titles.
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