Buckingham Palace declared on Monday that King Charles III is prepared to "support" any police investigation into his younger brother, the former Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after emails surfaced suggesting he shared confidential British trade documents with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The statement marks an extraordinary escalation in the royal family's effort to distance itself from what has become its deepest crisis in decades.
Thames Valley Police confirmed it is "assessing" the claims, which center on correspondence showing Mountbatten-Windsor sent Epstein copies of reports from a 2010 diplomatic tour of Southeast Asia that he undertook as Britain's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment, according to the Associated Press.
The Documents
The emails in question were unearthed from the more than 3 million pages of documents released by the U.S. Justice Department and House Oversight Committee as part of ongoing scrutiny of Epstein's network. The correspondence, reported widely by British and American media, appears to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing his itinerary for a two-week tour covering Hanoi, Saigon, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong — along with the resulting trade reports — with Epstein.
The exchanges took place in 2010, two years after Epstein's 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting a minor for prostitution. The fact that a member of the British royal family continued sharing sensitive government information with a convicted sex offender has raised questions not just about personal judgment but about potential breaches of the Official Secrets Act.
The Palace Response
"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," the palace said in a statement reported by AP News. "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."
Prince William and Princess Catherine issued their own statement earlier Monday, saying they have been "deeply concerned" by the revelations — an unusually direct public comment from the heir to the throne about a family member.
The palace also reiterated that Charles and Queen Camilla's "thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse."
A Decade of Scandal
Mountbatten-Windsor's ties to Epstein have haunted the royal family since at least 2019, when a disastrous BBC interview about the relationship led the late Queen Elizabeth II to strip him of royal duties. After further revelations emerged in a book published last year, King Charles went further — removing Andrew's title of prince and ordering him to vacate Royal Lodge, the residence near Windsor Castle he had occupied for years.
But the Justice Department document releases have opened an entirely new chapter. Reporters have identified dozens of email exchanges between Epstein and the former prince, many occurring well after Epstein's initial conviction.
Adding to the pressure, a U.S.-based attorney said on February 1 that he represents a woman who alleges Epstein flew her to Britain to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor at Royal Lodge in 2010. Thames Valley Police previously confirmed they were assessing that report as well.
Public Backlash
The extent of the public mood was visible on Monday when King Charles visited Lancashire in northwest England. While most of the crowd greeted him warmly, one person shouted: "How long have you known about Andrew?"
The question cuts to the heart of what may be the monarchy's most difficult challenge: not just what Andrew did, but what the institution knew, and when. The palace's willingness to publicly back a police investigation — into the king's own brother — suggests the royal family has concluded that full cooperation is the only path to institutional survival.
Mountbatten-Windsor has not publicly commented on the latest allegations. His legal team has previously denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
HTT News will continue to follow this developing story.