King Charles says royals would cooperate with police as his brother Andrew’s Epstein ties draw new scrutiny

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

“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,” a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace 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 you would expect.”

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

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

The police told CBS News that the information in the report was being assessed “in line with our established procedures,” to determine whether a formal criminal investigation into Mountbatten-Windsor’s actions was warranted.

Republic has accused Mountbatten-Windsor of suspected misconduct in public office and breaching laws on the retention of official secrets — charges that carry a possible life prison sentence in Britain.

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

New information about Andrew in the Epstein files

While the previous allegations have largely centered around the former prince’s alleged encounters with young women in conjunction with Epstein, the accusations by Republic focus on his actions as a British trade official.

Emails among the millions of documents released by the U.S. Justice Department on Jan. 30 appear to show the former prince passed on confidential reports on his visits as an official British trade envoy to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, including details of investment opportunities.

One email thread shows that after his travel to Asia, on Nov. 30, 2010, Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded official reports on his visits, sent to him by his then-special adviser Amit Patel, to Epstein, just minutes after he received 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 he describes as “a confidential brief” 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 as to whom I could also usefully show this to attract some interest” in the opportunities described in the brief.

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

The decision by Prime Minister Keir Starmer to tap Mandelson for the key diplomatic post has brought huge pressure on the U.K. leader to resign, though following the resignation of his chief of staff on Sunday, and a meeting with his cabinet on Monday, Starmer appeared more likely to hang onto his job, at least for the time being.

Prince William and Kate “deeply concerned”

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

Photos of him with women have continued to emerge in the files, however, following his move in 2022 to settle out of court with Epstein survivor Virginia Guiffre, reportedly for millions of dollars, keeping intense pressure on the royal family. Guiffre died by suicide last year.

In a statement released Monday, King Charles’ 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 first public comment from the heir to the British throne on the scandal over his uncle’s actions.