Prince William and Kate Middleton Break Silence on Epstein Files Amid Scandal Over Andrew

Prince William and Kate Middleton said they are “deeply concerned” by the revelations in the latest release of files connected to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “I can confirm the Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said on behalf of the royal couple on Monday morning. The brief sentiment marks William and Kate’s first statement since the U.S. Department of Justice published 3.5 million more pages related to Epstein on Jan. 30. William’s uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly known as Prince Andrew), is mentioned throughout the files, prompting renewed questioning over the extent of the royal’s relationship and communications with Epstein. The newly-released documents include a photograph of Andrew leaning over a woman on the floor. The woman’s face has been redacted and it’s unclear when or where the photograph was taken. As of last week, British police are also reviewing a fresh allegation that Epstein sent a woman to Andrew at the Royal Lodge residence in Windsor in 2010. “We are aware of reports about a woman said to have been taken to an address in Windsor in 2010 for sexual purposes,” a Thames Valley Police spokesperson told TIME on Wednesday. “We are assessing the information in line with our established procedures.” TIME has reached out to Andrew’s representatives for comment. While William and Kate’s statement marks a rare royal acknowledgement of the long-standing scandal surrounding Andrew, they’re not the only members of the family to address the situation. Last week, Andrew’s younger brother Prince Edward was asked about the release of the new files during a summit in Dubai. “It’s really important, always, to remember the victims, and who are the victims in all of this? [There are] a lot of victims in this,” he responded. Epstein was initially sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in 2008 after pleading guilty to state charges—one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18. He was in custody once more awaiting trial on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors when he died in a New York jail cell in 2019. Andrew’s relationship with Epstein—and the fact he continued communicating with the disgraced financier after his initial conviction—has long been scrutinized. The royal was famously interviewed on BBC’s Newsnight in 2019 and questioned over why he visited Epstein in New York in 2010. (The pair were pictured walking through Central Park together during the trip.) Andrew was accused of sexual abuse himself by one of Epstein’s most prominent victims, the late Virginia Giuffre. He strongly denied the allegations.  In January 2022, Andrew was stripped of his key military titles and royal patronages in the midst of a civil sexual abuse case brought forward by Giuffre. A month later, he settled the lawsuit with Giuffre for an undisclosed amount. Andrew was stripped of the remainder of his titles in late 2025, after additional allegations by Giuffre (who died in April 2025) came to light in her posthumous memoir. Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s ex-wife and the mother of his two daughters, has also faced renewed questioning over her own relationship with Epstein following mentions in the latest release of Epstein files. (The emails do not indicate any wrongdoing, nor is appearing in the files an indication of wrongdoing.) Ferguson, according to the emails, continued communicating with Epstein after his initial conviction. In September, multiple charities cut ties with Ferguson after a previous drop of files revealed she had emailed Epstein and referred to him as a “supreme friend.” A spokesperson for Ferguson pointed to the former duchess’ “regret” over her association with the financier. While the revelations from the Epstein files continue to rock the royal family, the British government is also engulfed in controversy following the latest release of documents. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is in crisis, facing serious questions over his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the U.K. ambassador to the U.S. in early 2025, despite it being known that he had a history with Epstein. Mandelson was sacked as ambassador in September after it came to light that he shared a closer relationship with Epstein than he’d previously disclosed. The emails released by the DOJ in January proved to be even more damning, as they appear to show that Mandelson—while serving as Business Secretary under then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown—may have leaked sensitive government information to Epstein in 2009. Mandelson resigned from the ruling Labour Party last week, saying that he wanted to avoid causing it “further embarrassment.” He also stepped down from the House of Lords. The U.K.’s Metropolitan Police has launched an investigation into Mandelson “for misconduct in public office offences.” On Friday afternoon, local time, police revealed two properties linked to the former government minister had been searched in relation to the probe. Mandelson has not “been arrested and enquiries are ongoing,” the police said. Read More: How the Epstein Files Broke Britain Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday, in the wake of the controversy. In a statement, he took responsibility for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson in the ambassador role. “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country and trust in politics itself,” said McSweeney. “When asked, I advised the Prime Minister to make that appointment and I take full responsibility for that advice.” On Monday morning, Starmer’s executive director of communications, Tim Allan, also stepped down. However, the departures have done little to curb calls for Starmer to resign. Kemi Badenoch, leader of the opposition Conservative Party, argued that Starmer “has to take responsibility for his own terrible decisions” and said his position is “untenable.”