Prince William and Princess Kate Break Silence on Epstein

Prince William wearing a dark coat putting his arm around Kate, in a blue coat and hat

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William and Princess Kate have never officially commented on William's uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein, but on Monday, February 9, a representative for the couple issued a rare statement.

The spokesperson, who is currently traveling with Prince William on an official visit to Saudi Arabia, said: "I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."

Their comments come amid growing calls for the Royal Family to speak up about the former Duke of York and the new series of Epstein files released by the Department of Justice at the end of January. Andrew, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, was pictured kneeling over a woman on the ground in a series of photos, and mentioned in numerous emails to the late sex offender.

Prince William and Princess Kate sitting at a table — The Prince and Princess of Wales released a statement about the Epstein revelations on February 9.

King Charles waving to fans wearing a tan coat — King Charles is pictured on February 9.

Just hours after the Prince and Princess of Wales released their statement, King Charles made an appearance in Clitheroe, Lancashire, when he was heckled by anti-monarchists who turned up at the event.

"Charles, how long have you known about Andrew and Epstein?" one man shouted in a video shared by journalist Russell Myers on Instagram. The heckler was drowned out by fans booing him and yelling, "Shut up!" with others cheering for The King in response.

Royal fan Lauren Parkinson, who was at the event, tells Marie Claire that fans rallied around King Charles in the moment. "The crowd were having none of it and cheered over the top of him, which was nice," Parkinson said, adding that she heard "there were at least 2,000 people packed onto that small street by the time he arrived."

"Apart from that one voice, he got an overwhelmingly positive welcome to the town," she continued.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.