Kate Middleton and Prince William have spoken out about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, issuing a rare public statement that offers insight into the royal family’s stance amid ongoing public interest in Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor‘s involvement.
PEOPLE Magazine reports the couple’s statement supports Epstein’s victims. Their remarks follow the Department of Justice’s release of 3.5 million pages of the Epstein files in late January 2026.
“I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continued revelations,’’ the palace said in a statement. “Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
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The statement was released as William begins a three-day royal visit to Saudi Arabia. Reuters reports the prince is on “an official trip on behalf of the government to deepen ties with the country.”
The couple’s comments come after reporters unsuccessfully tried to get a statement from King Charles‘s wife, Camilla Parker Bowles, about the royal family’s stand on the investigation in early February 2026. They questioned the queen consort as she visited a school to mark the National Year of Reading.
In a Facebook video shared by ITV News, a reporter asked the royal family member, “Good morning, your majesty. Will the royal family help the Epstein investigation? Do you have a message for Epstein’s victims?”
The queen consort did not respond to the query. Instead, she silently entered the building.
Prince Edward, Andrew’s younger brother, was the first senior royal to publicly address the scandal on February 3. PEOPLE Magazine shared the Duke of Edinburgh’s remarks: “I think it’s all really important always to remember the victims, and who are the victims in all this, a lot of victims in all this.”
Andrew’s alleged friendship with Jeffrey Epstein reportedly began in the 1990s. He was first publicly tied to the convicted sex offender via a lawsuit filed by victim Virginia Giuffre in 2011.
In 2015, as reported by The Guardian, allegations emerged that Andrew had an intimate relationship with an underage Giuffre. In November 2019, three months after Epstein was found dead in his jail cell, Andrew gave an interview to the BBC where he said he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre.
After the interview, the royal family member stepped back from public life. In 2022, his mother, Queen Elizabeth, stripped Andrew of his military titles and patronages, and that same year, Andrew reached an undisclosed court settlement with Guiffre.
In October 2025, Andrew was stripped of his royal titles. He moved out of his longtime home at Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle and now lives at Wood Farm Cottage, reported the Associated Press.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor continues to denies any wrongdoing in his association with Jeffrey Epstein.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available 24 hours a day through RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
