Prince William, Kate 'deeply concerned' about Epstein revelations as key U.K. cabinet members back Starmer

Britain's Prince William and his married woman, Kate, said on mon they were deep interested by the revelations in the Jeffrey  sir jacob epstein files amid further damning disclosures about the heir-to-the-throne's uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, as police assess whether to formally investigate the former royal.

Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles who had already been cast out of the royal inner circle over his close relationship with Epstein, has faced fresh scrutiny since the recent publication of millions of new documents relating to the late convicted U.S. Sex offender.

While Charles and his wife, Camilla, said in October that their thoughts and sympathies were with the victims and survivors of abuse, Monday's comment by the Prince and Princess of Wales is the most pointed message so far delivered by the Royal Family on the Epstein scandal.

"I can confirm the prince and princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations," a spokesperson for William and Kate told reporters ahead of the prince's arrival in Riyadh for a high-profile trip. "Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."

Mountbatten-Windsor was forced to quit all official royal duties in 2019 over his ties with Epstein and, in October, King Charles removed his title of prince. Last week, he was forced to move out of his royal mansion.

In 2022, he settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre that accused him of sexually abusing her when she was a teenager, through her association with Epstein. Giuffre died by suicide last April.

Email appears to confirm photo of former prince, Virginia Giuffre is real

The 65-year-old second son of the late Queen Elizabeth has always denied any wrongdoing and has not responded to requests for comment since the latest release of Epstein files.

While the Royal Family has attempted to distance itself from Mountbatten-Windsor, he remains a thorn in their side.

"Charles, how long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?" a man shouted recently from the crowd as the King arrived in Clitheroe, northern England, the second time he had been heckled in a week.

In the latest batch of files released in the U.S., emails suggest he shared official British trade documents with Epstein in 2010, after Epstein's conviction for child sex crimes, leaking information from his then-official role as a government envoy.

The documents appear to show that Andrew forwarded Epstein reports about Vietnam, Singapore and other places he had been sent to in relation to an official trip.

Trade envoys are usually barred from sharing sensitive or commercial documents.

Latest Epstein files put more scrutiny on former prince Andrew

Thames Valley Police said the issue had been reported to them and that they were assessing whether to formally investigate, "in line with our established procedures."

Last week, police said they were reviewing a new allegation against Andrew, triggered by the latest files, involving a woman being taken to an address in Windsor near London, where he has lived on the royal estate.

Over the last 10 days, revelations from the files have also engulfed Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in what is widely viewed as the biggest crisis of his premiership, for having appointed Peter Mandelson, an acquaintance of Epstein, as ambassador to the U.S.

Starmer fired Mandelson last September after emails were published showing that he maintained a friendship with Epstein after the financier's 2008 conviction for sex offences involving a minor. Critics say Starmer should have known better than to appoint Mandelson, 72, a contentious figure whose career has been studded with scandals over money or ethics.

Starmer apologized last week for "having believed Mandelson's lies," and his chief of staff and communications director have taken the fall, each resigning from their position since Sunday.

Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoch of the Conservative Party said Starmer "has made bad decision after bad decision" and "his position now is untenable."

The leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, called on Starmer to resign on Monday. He is the most senior Labour figure to call for Starmer to quit.

With Starmer's position hanging by a thread after just 19 months in office, Sarwar said "the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change."

"There have been too many mistakes," said Sarwar, who acknowledged that he was making the call in an attempt to save Labour's chances in elections for Scotland's semi-autonomous Parliament in May.

Starmer's office said on Monday that he is not planning to step down.

"He has a clear five-year mandate from the British people to deliver change, and that is what he will do," Downing Street said in a statement.

A string of senior cabinet colleagues spoke up to defend Starmer on social media, including Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Treasury chief Rachel Reeves.

Longtime Labour MP Angela Rayner, considered a potential leadership candidate were Starmer forced to step aside, also gave him "her full support."

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Starmer was due to address Labour lawmakers behind closed doors on Monday evening.

The prime minister has promised to release documentation related to Mandelson's appointment, which the government says will show that Mandelson misled officials about his ties to Epstein.

The publication of the documents could be weeks away, as they must be vetted on national security grounds and for potential conflicts with a police investigation.

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