In London, Buckingham Palace said Monday that it is prepared to back any policing inquiry connected to Prince Andrew’s links to Jeffrey Epstein, as renewed allegations drew scrutiny and as U.S. Justice Department files continued to be released. The announcement came after Thames Valley Police said it was “assessing” reports that raised questions about Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct. In the palace’s response, it said the king’s concern was reflected in what it described as “unprecedented actions,” while stressing that Mountbatten-Windsor would address the specific claims.
The palace said in a statement that “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,” and added: “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.” Thames Valley Police, which covers areas west of London including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, said its work on the matter was at the assessment stage.
Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing in his relationship with Epstein. The new questions reported by police and discussed by the palace were linked to allegations that he sent Epstein confidential reports from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia, a trip he undertook as Britain’s envoy for international trade. The correspondence, according to the reporting, was uncovered by reporters combing through the U.S. Justice Department files that were released in the wake of Epstein-related proceedings in the United States.
The king’s latest step followed earlier moves since October, when Charles stripped his younger brother of the right to be called prince, forced him to move out of the royal estate he had occupied for more than 20 years, and issued a public statement supporting the women and girls abused by Epstein. The reporting said those changes were driven in part by the Justice Department’s release of millions of pages of Epstein documents, which the reporting said revealed details of Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Epstein and undermined his claims that he cut ties with the financier after a 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
As the palace’s cooperation pledge unfolded, Ed Owens, author of “After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?,” said the king was signaling that the monarchy would comply with any police inquiry. Owens described a shift away from earlier royal approaches to scandal, saying Britain’s older “gentlemen’s agreements” era would have tried to “bury this kind of story,” but that “thankfully, we live in a more democratic age where people are rightly held accountable for their actions.” He added that “In taking the moral high ground — and that is what the king is doing here — the monarchy is signaling very clearly that it recognizes that public opinion demands that justice be served and that it is willing to comply with the police inquiry.”
Craig Prescott, a constitutional law and monarchy expert at Royal Holloway, University of London, said the palace’s commitment to cooperate is part of a broader effort to isolate Mountbatten-Windsor from the rest of the royal family. Prescott said the revelations had tarnished the family’s reputation but that support for the monarchy remained. He told the Associated Press that as long as the scandal stays “contained to Prince Andrew,” the monarchy would be “relatively safe.”
The fallout began building years earlier, with the reporting pointing to allegations by Virginia Giuffre in connection with Epstein, including her claim that Epstein flew her to Britain to have sex with the then prince. The reporting also said Giuffre died by suicide last year. It cited efforts under late Queen Elizabeth II to preserve royal “mystique” through an approach summed up as “never complain, never explain,” and said palace silence became harder to sustain after Mountbatten-Windsor’s controversial 2019 interview with the BBC.
Under Charles, the reporting said Mountbatten-Windsor’s situation changed further after October, when the publication of a book criticizing his sense of entitlement and the looming release of Justice Department files prompted the king to strip his remaining royal titles, including the right to be called a prince. The Associated Press also reported that Charles ordered Mountbatten-Windsor to vacate Royal Lodge, a 30-room mansion owned by the crown and managed for the benefit of taxpayers, and said Mountbatten-Windsor left his longtime home last week months ahead of schedule. He is now living on the Sandringham Estate in eastern England, which is privately owned by the king.
Owens said the cooperation pledge would likely bring further headlines. “This is going to lead to more unwanted headlines,” he said, adding: “But this is how you exorcise the demon of Jeffrey Epstein.”