London, Feb 9 (PTI): Buckingham Palace on Monday said it “stands ready” to support a police investigation into the conduct of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, after further damaging claims emerged over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Thames Valley Police confirmed it is assessing allegations against Andrew that he may have passed on confidential information to Epstein in his former role as the UK’s trade envoy.
According to the BBC, emails released in the US appear to show that Andrew forwarded reports to Epstein, including one from November 2010 sent by his then Indian-origin special assistant Amit Patel, related to official trade visits.
The anti-monarchy group, Republic, reported the matter to the police for “suspected misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets”. “We can confirm receipt of this report and are assessing the information in line with our established procedures,” said a Thames Valley Police spokesperson. Andrew, stripped of all his royal titles by the King last year, has consistently and strenuously denied any wrongdoing. “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,” 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.
“As was previously stated, Their Majesties’ [Charles and Camilla] thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse,” the statement reads. It followed the 77-year-old monarch being heckled by members of the public during a royal visit to the town of Clitheroe in north-west England earlier on Monday.
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s office had also been forced to issue a statement on behalf of the Prince and Princess of Wales as the royal circles came under mounting pressure over the issue.
“I can confirm the Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims,” Kensington Palace said.
The scandal has continued to dominate the headlines as documents continue to be released as part of a US Congress inquiry into the late Jeffrey Epstein.
It has shaken up the UK government, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer fighting to hold on to his job over a decision to appoint a politician tainted by his close links with the sex offender as the US ambassador.
While he later sacked Peter Mandelson as the UK’s envoy to Washington DC, Starmer’s judgment has been called into question by the Opposition and his own Labour Party MPs. Anas Sarwar, the British Pakistani leader of the Scottish Labour Party, went as far as to openly call for his resignation ahead of elections coming up for the devolved Parliament in Scotland.
“We cannot allow the failures at the heart of Downing Street to mean the failures continue here in Scotland, because the election in May is not without consequence for the lives of Scots,” said Sarwar. However, it led to Starmer’s top team of Cabinet ministers rallying around their leader and expressing confidence in his leadership. PTI AK GRS GRS GRS
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