As Prince William readies himself for a visit to Saudi Arabia, he and Catherine, Princess of Wales, have issued an unexpected statement following the release of millions of upsetting documents related to convicted paedophile, Jeffrey Epstein.
William’s uncle is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince who had his royal and military titles stripped after accusations of wrongdoing alongside Epstein – and to date, neither the Prince or Princess of Wales have publicly spoken about it.
Andrew has always denied committing any crimes in connection to Epstein and has previously said his friendship with the disgraced financier “let the side down”. He settled a suit with Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein victim who was trafficked as a teenager and who accused the royal of having sex with her when she was 17, without admission of guilt.
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A Kensington Palace spokesperson told press in Riyadh ahead of William’s visit: “I can confirm the Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focussed on the victims.”
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On 31 January, Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged Andrew to testify in front of the US Congress as a photo of him kneeling over an unidentified woman was released in the batch of Epstein documents, along with emails appearing to show their correspondence continued long after Epstein was convicted.
“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.”
Andrew’s ex, Sarah Ferguson, also features in the Epstein files on multiple occasions appearing to ask for money and pledging friendship, including after he was convicted of sex trafficking a minor. Emails seem to suggest Sarah, along with her two daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, met Epstein for lunch shortly after his release from prison.
Ferguson has previously said she regrets her friendship with Epstein and labelled paedophilia as “abhorrent”.
William and Catherine were last seen with Andrew back in September 2025, at a funeral for the Duchess of Kent.
Last week, King Charles and Queen Camilla were heckled by a crowd in Dedham, a village in Essex, where one concerned onlooker asked, “Charles, Charles, have you pressured the police to begin looking into Andrew?”
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK’s multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She’s grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.