King Charles says royals would cooperate with police like his brother Andrew

King Charles III indicated on Monday that the British royal family would cooperate if police came to ask questions about his younger brother, former Prince Andrew’s, ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

“The king has made clear, in words and through unprecedented action, his deep concern about the allegations that continue to come to light regarding Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement. “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 would be expected.”

The royal family’s statement came as the police force in the region surrounding much of London confirmed it was assessing information suggesting Mountbatten-Windsor had shared sensitive government information with the late American financier and convicted pedophile when the then-prince was a British trade envoy.

The information was reported to Thames Valley Police by anti-monarchy campaign group Republic, citing documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of the release of files relating to Epstein, who was convicted of soliciting sex from a minor and accused of sex trafficking of children when He died by suicide in a New York jail cell..

Police told News themezone that the information contained in the report was being evaluated “in accordance with our established procedures” to determine whether a formal criminal investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor’s actions was warranted.

Republic has charged Mountbatten-Windsor with suspected misconduct in public office and violating official secrets laws, charges that carry a possible life sentence in Britain.

King Charles has taken a series of steps to punish and isolate his younger brother since details of Mountbatten-Windsor’s close ties to Epstein first emerged last year, including stripping him of all his royal titles and duties and evicting him from his royal mansion on the Windsor estate near London.

New information about Andrew in Epstein files

While previous allegations have largely focused on the former prince’s alleged encounters with young women alongside Epstein, Republic’s allegations focus on his actions as a British trade official.

Emails among the millions of published documents Statements from the US Department of Justice on January 30 appear to show that the former prince passed on confidential reports about his visits as an official British trade envoy to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, including details of investment opportunities.

An email thread shows that after her trip to Asia on November 30, 2010, Mountbatten-Windsor sent official reports about her visits, sent by her then special advisor Amit Patel, to Epstein within minutes of receiving them. There was no message from the then-prince to Epstein accompanying the forwarded message.

Another email exchange between the men, the following month, appears to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing files that he describes as “a confidential report” on potential investment opportunities in southern Afghanistan, where British forces were based at the time.

Then-Prince Andrew said he was sharing the documents with Epstein to seek his “comments, views or ideas about who I could usefully show this to to attract some interest” in the opportunities outlined in the report.

The allegations echo similar revelations from the latest tranche of Epstein files that suggest former British ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson, shared sensitive government information with the late American financier. London Metropolitan Police confirmed an investigation about its actions earlier this month.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to pick Mandelson for the key diplomatic post has brought Big pressure on UK leader to resignalthough following the resignation of his chief of staff on Sunday, and in a meeting with his cabinet on Monday, Starmer seemed more likely to keep his job, at least for the moment.

Prince William and Kate ‘deeply concerned’

Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct with young women, as documented in Epstein-related files released by both the Justice Department and Congress last year, has not led to any criminal charges, and the former prince has always denied any wrongdoing.

However, photos of him with women have continued to appear in the archives, following his move in 2022 to Reaches out-of-court settlement with Epstein survivor Virginia Guiffresupposedly for millions of dollars, maintaining intense pressure on the royal family. Guiffre died by suicide last year.

In a statement issued on Monday, King Charles’s first son, Prince William, and his wife Catherine, the Prince and Princess of Wales, said they were “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations” about Mountbatten-Windsor, and “their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”

It was the heir to the British throne’s first public comment on the scandal over his uncle’s actions.