King backs police review of new Andrew-Epstein claims (Full Transcript)

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Well, in another major development tonight, Buckingham Palace has said that the King has made clear his profound concern at allegations about the conduct of his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and that he stands ready to support the police if approached over the claims. Thames Valley Police have said they're assessing suggestions that the former prince shared confidential reports from his time as the UK's trade envoy with Geoffrey Epstein. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has previously apologised for his ties with Epstein but has denied wrongdoing. Prince William, on a visit to Saudi Arabia, has also said he's deeply concerned by the continuing allegations emerging from the release of the Epstein files. Daniela Ralph reports.

[00:00:42] Speaker 2: A walkabout in Clitheroe in Lancashire for the King. But the regular rhythm of royal duty has been interrupted by the Epstein fallout. Just like last week, the King faced a heckler. Charles, how long have you known about Andrew and Epstein? Oh, no, The response of the crowd will have provided some comfort. The details in the Epstein files, though, have left the royal family exposed. The BBC has seen emails which suggest, in his role as a UK trade envoy, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein. Thames Valley Police is now assessing the allegations after a complaint was made by the anti-monarchy group Republic. The former prince has been contacted for comment. And then an extraordinary intervention from the King. A statement from his official spokesperson laid out the monarch's position on his younger brother. It said, 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. If we are approached by Thames Valley Police, we stand ready to support them, as you would expect. The statement also reiterated that the King and Queen's sympathies remain with the victims of any form of abuse. Earlier, the Prince of Wales offered his view on the Epstein story as he arrived in Saudi Arabia for his first official visit. Before touching down in Riyadh, there was a rare joint personal statement from the Prince and Princess of Wales. They had stayed publicly silent on the Jeffrey Epstein story until now. The statement from a Kensington Palace spokesperson read, I can confirm the Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims. These are really charged times for the royal family and how they respond publicly matters. The two new royal statements are an attempt to show compassion and leadership in a situation where the royal family is under scrutiny and under pressure. As Prince William met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his first official duty in Saudi Arabia, what the latest developments have not done is move his uncle Andrew any closer to talking to the authorities and telling them what he knows. With every new revelation, every fresh detail, that lack of cooperation becomes ever more apparent. Daniela Ralph, BBC News, Riyadh.

[00:03:30] Speaker 1: Well, let's get more on this with our correspondent Daniel Sanford. How serious is this for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?

[00:03:36] Speaker 3: Well, I think potentially Andrew is in a lot of trouble tonight. For the first time, police are not looking at information to do with alleged sexual activities, but rather to do with allegedly giving Jeffrey Epstein sensitive government documents. Back in 2010, Andrew was still the government's special representative for international trade and investment, bringing a little royal magic to our trade relationships with other countries. But the Epstein files suggest that when he was on this trip to China, Vietnam and Singapore in October of that year, he was not only sending Epstein his full itinerary in advance, but it also suggests that when he got the official reports into that trip, he'd forwarded them to Jeffrey Epstein within five minutes. And Thames Valley police have said they're going to look at those revelations. That will initially be a review to look at whether there is sufficient evidence of wrongdoing to begin an investigation into either alleged misconduct in public office or perhaps allegedly breaching the Official Secrets Act. But then within hours of the police saying that, the palace released this really explosive statement saying that if Thames Valley police approached them, then the palace was ready to support detectives. So it means that if police do start an investigation, they're not just going to be relying on a few emails in the Epstein files. Now, Andrew has, of course, always strenuously denied any wrongdoing and just being in the Epstein files is not evidence of misconduct.

[00:05:05] Speaker 1: Daniel, thank you very much.