‘Prince William made calculated move amid Andrew scandal – but it still wasn’t enough’

Prince William’s visit to Saudi Arabia was overshadowed by talk of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and the Epstein scandal, and the difficult questions are likely to keep coming

The fallout from the scandal surrounding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s relationship with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson is continuing to overshadow the entire Royal Family – and shows no sign of easing off.

King Charles has been heckled about his brother’s dealing with Epstein at several public events recently, and both he and Prince William have now broken their public silences by releasing official statements via their spokespeople.

However, William’s recent trip to Saudi Arabia in what one of his most delicate diplomatic visits to date was still overshadowed by talk of the Epstein Files, and former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond says while the Prince of Wales has handles things well, it is not enough to silence the talk.

READ MORE: King Charles ‘grappling with Andrew’ as ‘terrifying allegations’ continue

“I’m afraid the Epstein scandal has almost completely overshadowed William’s visit to Saudi Arabia,” she told the Mirror. “And I’m sure that will have made him extremely annoyed. These trips are important and are undertaken at the request of the Foreign Office. And this was a particularly sensitive one.

“William will have invested a good amount of time reading his briefs, carrying out his own research and preparing himself for a delicate diplomatic mission. Now that the headlines have all been about Andrew and Epstein, you wouldn’t blame William for thinking ‘What’s the point?’.”

William faced the question about his uncle Andrew from the sidelines of a football pitch in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, where he was meeting youth squad players at a training session and learning about the increase in female participation in the sport.

A reporter twice shouted out: “Sir, to what extent do you think the Royal Family have done enough around the Andrew-Epstein issue?”. However, it was not clear whether William – who was stood some distance away – didn’t hear the question or simply chose not to respond.

His trip came shortly after he and Kate Middleton released an official statement via Kensington Palace about the scandal. Ahead of his arrival in Riyadh, a spokesperson said: “I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”

According to Jennie, the statement was likely intended to avoid William’s visit being overshadowed – but this notion does not “detract from the sincerity of what they said”.

“I’m sure they have wanted to make their feelings about Uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor very clear for a long time,” she said. “In the end, it was a brief statement focusing very much on their sympathy for the survivors of Epstein‘s abuse. But it wasn’t enough. The news was still about Andrew – – and, inevitably, William was asked about it during his trip by a reporter.”

She added that in her role as royal correspondent it was her duty to “shout out that unwelcome question”, regardless of how it might land – and the Epstein scandal is too large for the family to escape or ignore.

“As a journalist, you really do have to put those burning, topical questions to the Prince, or King, or whoever is relevant to the story,” she explained. “I’ve done it myself, and it’s part of the job. We are there to help ensure that the royals are accountable and the public get answers. Or not…which was the case here, as William either didn’t hear or ignored the reporter’s question.

“I think the Palace understand that’s the way things are…but of course they don’t like it. Hopefully, the trip will still have achieved its aims of strengthening bilateral ties between the UK and Saudi Arabia, and have brought trade benefits. But this was a big ask of William and I’m sure he will be angry and depressed that most of the news was all about his disgraced uncle.”