Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales are "deeply concerned" about the allegations in the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Kensington Palace officials released a statement from the royals addressing the controversy for the first time on Monday, hours ahead of William's official visit to Saudi Arabia.
"I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations," the spokesperson said. "Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."
While they did not name William's uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, he is among those under renewed scrutiny over his connection to Epstein after America's Department of Justice (DOJ) released over three million documents related to the late convicted sex offender in late January.
Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his Prince Andrew title in October, moved out of his Royal Lodge home in Windsor, England and into the King's privately-funded Sandringham Estate earlier than expected last week amid the furore.
Inside of the trove of documents are images appearing to show the 64-year-old kneeling on all fours over a fully-clothed unidentified woman laying on the floor. No context was provided for the photos and it is not clear when or where they were taken.
In addition, emails appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor sharing confidential British trade documents with Epstein in 2010, while he was serving as the Special Representative for International Trade and Investment.
Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing. He has previously denied having sex with late accuser Virginia Guiffre when she was a teenager and they reached an out-of-court settlement in 2022. The agreement contained no admission of guilt.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla issued a settlement about the Epstein scandal in October, saying, "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."
In addition, the King's other brother, Prince Edward, addressed the controversy during a Q&A at the World Governments Summit in Dubai last week.
"I think it's all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all of this," the Duke of Edinburgh said.
Mountbatten-Windsor has yet to publicly address the latest allegations.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019 in his jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
