Prince William and Princess Kate this week issued a statement about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the wake of controversy around his links to disgraced Jeffrey Epstein
Defiant Prince William “will not do anything to defend his despicable uncle” Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a royal expert has claimed.
The Prince and Princess of Wales this week issued a rare public statement amid the Andrew scandal, saying they were “deeply concerned” over the latest disturbing revelations in the Epstein files.
William and Kate have received both praise and criticism for their statement, with some applauding them for taking a stance but others — including Piers Morgan — have suggested the couple could have gone stronger with their rhetoric.
However, Hilary Fordwich, who is a royal expert, said: “Prince William, with the major influence of Princess Catherine, is modernising the monarchy by clarifying their position, which is with the victims. This demonstrates William’s moral authority. We can expect that he will not do anything to defend his despicable uncle.”
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Since the Waleses spoke out, King Charles made an unprecedented statement to speak of his “profound concern” surrounding the catalogue of disturbing allegations surrounding Andrew. Prior to that, Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, had remained silent about the scandal, dodging reporters’ questions at royal engagements.
More than three million records, including personal emails, of the so-called Epstein files were released by the Department of Justice of the United States last week. Andrew, 65, has previously said he ended contact with Epstein in 2010, though documents indicate communication continued beyond that date. However, the former prince denies any wrongdoing.
Speaking to Fox News Digital, Ms Fordwich described William and Kate’s response to this controversy as “a deliberate break from royal tradition”. The Waleses’ statement was, though, brief, with a spokesperson for the couple saying: “I can confirm the Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations, and their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
But even after that statement, Prince William, 43, was heckled over issue during a trip to Saudi Arabia. However, the father of three kept his composure to join a kickabout with young female footballers on the pitch at MISK Sports City while they practiced their training drills.
The future King was challenged to take part in a crossbar challenge, taking three shots at goal with the aim of hitting the crossbar. But he instead put all three balls in the net. Bonding with the players, ages between 10 and 15, William said: “Have any of you ever been to the UK? You know the weather’s different – cold and rainy but you have the sunshine here all the time. Good luck with football, keep practising and we’ll see you in the World Cup.”
