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Prince William And Kate Middleton Address Epstein Files For The First Time Amid Surging Royal Scrutiny
Prince William and Kate Middleton have spoken out about the Jeffrey Epstein case amid new evidence that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was linked to the late child predator.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are “deeply concerned” about the scandal, they said during an official visit to Saudi Arabia.
Epstein, who was found lifeless in his jail cell in 2019, was convicted of procuring a child for pr*stitution in 2008.
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Highlights
- Prince William and Princess Catherine expressed "deep concern" over the Jeffrey Epstein scandal during their visit to Saudi Arabia.
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles after evidence showed his links to the child predator.
- Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein victim, accused Andrew of forcing her to sleep with him when she was underage.
William and Kate have addressed the Jeffrey Epstein scandal amid mounting pressure for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify
Image credits: Samir Hussein/Getty Images
He was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges related to the s*x trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.
His associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who recruited underage girls for him, was found guilty of child s*x trafficking in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The unsealed documents related to the case, known as the “Epstein files,” have drawn attention due to the late criminal’s elite social circle, which included politicians and celebrities.
Image credits: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Among the financier’s friends was Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—formerly Prince Andrew—the younger brother of King Charles.
In photos recently released by the US Justice Department, Andrew could be seen on all fours, kneeling over an unidentified girl who was lying on the floor.
While they did not name Andrew, a spokesperson for the royal family in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, addressed the Epstein scandal on Monday (February 9).
Andrew, who is William’s uncle, was stripped of his royal titles after photo and email evidence proved his links to Epstein
Image credits: House Committee on Oversight
“I can confirm the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations,” they stated.
“Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
Similarly, last October, King Charles and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, voiced their support for Epstein and Maxwell’s victims.
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of ab*se,” Buckingham Palace said.
Image credits: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Getty Images
Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, who is Charles and Andrew’s brother, was asked about the case during a press Q&A at the World Governments Summit in Dubai last week.
Edward began by suggesting that the audience was likely not “the least bit interested” in the issue, given that he was there to discuss education policy. Still, he added, “I think it’s really important to always remember the victims and who are the victims in all of this.”
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles in October following increased scrutiny over his links to Epstein. He was also moved out of his home in Windsor to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
The disgraced royal is accused of forcing Virginia Giuffre, an underage woman recruited by Epstein, to sleep with him
Image credits: Davidoff Studios/Getty Images
In his 2019 bombshell interview with BBC Newsnight, the former prince claimed that he last saw Epstein in New York in December 2010 to tell the disgraced financier he was breaking off the friendship.
However, emails unsealed by the US Justice Department show that he kept in touch with the criminal after that period and after Epstein became a convicted s*x offender.
In an email dated February 9, 2011, Andrew suggested that Epstein invest in a private equity firm he had visited a week before.
Image credits: Department of Justice
The emails also show that Andrew attended a celebrity dinner at Epstein’s multimillion-dollar Manhattan townhouse with Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi, TV presenters Katie Couric and George Stephanopoulos, comedian Chelsea Handler, and talk show host Charlie Rose.
The 65-year-old has been accused by Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent victims of Epstein’s trafficking ring, of forcing her to sleep with him on three occasions when she was underage.
Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Giuffre, who took her own life last year, claimed that Andrew was aware she was underage when they were introduced.
Andrew has denied all of Giuffre’s accusations and stressed that he does not recall ever meeting her. In 2022, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre, reportedly for £12 million.
“I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” the king’s brother told the BBC in his 2019 interview.
Asked about a photograph that shows him with his hand around Giuffre, he said he had “no recollection of the photograph ever being taken” and added that “nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored.”
King Charles, Andrew’s older brother, expressed his support for Epstein’s “victims and survivors”
Image credits: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
A day after the photograph was published in the British press, Andrew emailed Epstein saying, “It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it… Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!” the DOJ documents show.
Giuffre said she met the financier and his co-conspirator while working as a spa attendant at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in 2000. Afterward, Maxwell recruited her as a masseuse.
In 2019, the late activist, who was the first of Epstein’s victims to give up her anonymity, told the BBC that she was “passed around like a platter of fruit” to Epstein’s friends after being recruited by Maxwell.
“They seemed like nice people, so I trusted them,” Giuffre said, adding that she had confided in the pair about people taking advantage of her in the past.
“That was the worst thing I could have told them, because now they knew how vulnerable I was.”
She said that, after being hired by Epstein, she was brought on a trip to London to meet Andrew.
“Maxwell woke me up that morning by announcing in a sing-songy voice: ‘Get out of bed, sleepyhead!’ It was going to be a special day, she said. Just like Cinderella, I was going to meet a handsome prince!” reads an excerpt from Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl.
Image credits: Department of Justice
A man named Tony Figueroa testified that, when he was 19, Epstein and Maxwell paid him $200 for each girl he found and drove to the financier’s mansion to provide “massages.” He said he often recruited girls from his high school.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US lawmakers have called for Andrew to testify before the US Congress about his links to the child predator.
“In terms of testifying, I have always said anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information,” Starmer told reporters. “You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that. Epstein’s victims have to be the first priority.”
Several people criticized the royal family, arguing that their response to Andrew’s alleged crimes came suspiciously late
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What do you think ?
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 2 hours ago
Do they not have people who, for security reasons, check on all members of the royal family? I would think that they would have people assigned to knowing where he is at all times just given the fact that he could be taken for ransom or something. It is a little hard to believe that the royal family didn't have a clue what he was up to.
Alexandra 22 minutes ago
Sad to say, Queen Elizabeth II dropped the ball on this one. In almost everything else she made the monarchy the overriding concent except when it came to what is generally thought to be her favourite son. Now Charles has to clean this mess up. Steps he can take: remove him as Councillor of State and take away his dukedom. The last will impact his kids though. I hope Charles sorts this and the Harkle mess before William succeeds.
Multa Nocte (she/her/8647) 2 hours ago
Do they not have people who, for security reasons, check on all members of the royal family? I would think that they would have people assigned to knowing where he is at all times just given the fact that he could be taken for ransom or something. It is a little hard to believe that the royal family didn't have a clue what he was up to.
Alexandra 22 minutes ago
Sad to say, Queen Elizabeth II dropped the ball on this one. In almost everything else she made the monarchy the overriding concent except when it came to what is generally thought to be her favourite son. Now Charles has to clean this mess up. Steps he can take: remove him as Councillor of State and take away his dukedom. The last will impact his kids though. I hope Charles sorts this and the Harkle mess before William succeeds.
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