Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles III will "support" UK police investigating reports that Prince Andrew sent confidential trade information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The palace's statement came after Thames Valley Police, which serves areas west of London, launched an inquiry into the allegations following a complaint from anti-monarchy campaigner Graham Smith. The police force confirmed it has received the report and is assessing the information in line with established procedures.
According to reports, Prince Andrew had forwarded copies of his 2010 trade reports from Southeast Asia to Epstein soon after returning to Britain. Emails released by the US Justice Department also show that Andrew shared his itinerary for the trip with Epstein.
Thames Valley Police began its inquiry into suspected abuse of public office and violations of the UK's Official Secrets Act following a complaint from Smith, who said Mountbatten-Windsor should face prosecution over the alleged breach of duty. However, Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.
The King's support for the police probe comes after he issued a statement saying "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."
Meanwhile, Prince William and Princess Catherine have also expressed their concerns over the Epstein scandal, with a spokesperson saying they were "deeply concerned" by the latest revelations. The royal family is facing increasing scrutiny over its handling of the scandal.
The palace's statement came after Thames Valley Police, which serves areas west of London, launched an inquiry into the allegations following a complaint from anti-monarchy campaigner Graham Smith. The police force confirmed it has received the report and is assessing the information in line with established procedures.
According to reports, Prince Andrew had forwarded copies of his 2010 trade reports from Southeast Asia to Epstein soon after returning to Britain. Emails released by the US Justice Department also show that Andrew shared his itinerary for the trip with Epstein.
Thames Valley Police began its inquiry into suspected abuse of public office and violations of the UK's Official Secrets Act following a complaint from Smith, who said Mountbatten-Windsor should face prosecution over the alleged breach of duty. However, Prince Andrew has denied any wrongdoing.
The King's support for the police probe comes after he issued a statement saying "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."
Meanwhile, Prince William and Princess Catherine have also expressed their concerns over the Epstein scandal, with a spokesperson saying they were "deeply concerned" by the latest revelations. The royal family is facing increasing scrutiny over its handling of the scandal.
! I mean, who doesn't love a good royal drama? But seriously, Prince Andrew's questionable behavior has left everyone scratching their heads like "is he for real or did he just get a bad haircut?" The King's support for the police probe is about time, it's like a big ol' plate of warm cookies – comforting and much-needed.
. They're like "hold on, we need to get this Epstein stuff sorted ASAP!" Meanwhile, Graham Smith is just over here like "I told you so" 
. This whole thing has got everyone talking, kinda like a never-ending episode of "Who's the King?" 
. It's like they thought they could just sweep this under the rug forever. The royal family needs to get their act together and take responsibility for their actions. I don't care if Prince Andrew says he did nothing wrong, we've all seen the emails now 
. And what about all the other royals who might be involved in this scandal? We should be seeing more of a unified front from them instead of just a few token statements. Come on, guys, step up and own it 
.
& now king charles III is showin support which is cool i guess... might be a sign that the royal family is tryna clear its name. & what about prince william & catherine tho? they're expressin their concerns but they ain't sayin nothin too much about it 
but it's good to see king charles stepping in and supporting the investigation into prince andrew's involvement with epstein 
hopefully justice will be served 
can't believe how many royals are getting caught up in these scandals though 
does anyone think there should be more accountability within the royal family?
... like, I get that everyone deserves due diligence and all but Prince Andrew sending confidential trade info to Epstein? that's just wild 
. And now the King is backing Thames Valley Police investigating this? it's like they're saying "hey we know something fishy happened here". I'm not saying Prince Andrew did anything wrong or guilty, but come on... how could he be so reckless with sensitive info? 
sending secret info to Epstein 
how could he do that? 
especially when you're a public figure 
gotta keep things on the up and up 
the King is being super supportive 
which is nice 
but still, Prince Andrew needs to come clean 
about what really went down 
maybe it's time for him to take responsibility 
i mean who forwards their trade reports to a convicted sex offender? that's like me forwarding my password to my ex 
supporting the police is one thing but can he support our sanity too? 
maybe he could get them all coffee or something? and btw what's with the royal family's motto "her majesty" lol her highness, more like her awkwardness