Britain's royal family in 'unchartered territory' with former Prince Andrew, Epstein crisis, expert says
Britain's royal family is facing "unchartered territory" as it navigates the fallout over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's connections with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, royal experts say.
Allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor, a brother of Britain's King Charles III, shared confidential reports with Epstein from a 2010 tour of Southeast Asia he took as Britain's international trade envoy are being assessed by a U.K. police department.
The allegations stem from Mountbatten-Windsor's name showing up in the 3 million pages of documents related to Epstein -- who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minor girls -- released by the U.S. Department of Justice in January.
The release has put renewed focus on Mountbatten-Windsor's communications with Epstein. The documents include correspondence between the two men in 2010, after Epstein concluded a 13-month jail sentence and work release, the result of a 2008 plea bargain with federal prosecutors in Florida.
The documents also show the two men communicated beyond the time Mountbatten-Windsor said publicly that he had cut ties with Epstein.
ABC News has reached out to a representative for Mountbatten-Windsor for comment on the documents.
The former prince has repeatedly denied wrongdoing with respect to Epstein.
While Mountbatten-Windsor faced scrutiny for his ties to Epstein during his mother Queen Elizabeth II's reign, it is now his older brother Charles who is dealing with the fallout, according to ABC News royal contributor Imogen Lloyd Webber.
"This is uncharted territory for the crown," Lloyd Webber said. "Unlike politicians, who can often blame the previous administration, that's difficult for Charles. He can't undermine his late mother's legacy, but he does need to protect the institution."
Describing the late queen's handling of her son's ties to Epstein, Lloyd Webber added, "She had soft spots, some would say blind spots, for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and Charles inherited this mess."
As king, Charles stripped his younger brother of his "style, titles and honours," including his prince title, and, most recently, evicted Mountbatten-Windsor from his longtime home, Royal Lodge, on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
So far, the only member of the royal family to publicly speak about the controversy is Andrew and Charles' brother, Prince Edward.
When asked about the issue while speaking on a panel on education in Dubai on Feb. 3, Edward responded, "I think it's really important always to remember the victims, and who are the victims in all this, a lot of victims in this."
Other members of the royal family including Charles and his son and heir Prince William, as well as William's wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, have so far chosen to issue statements similarly focused on the victims.
"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. While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect," a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News on Feb. 9, referring to the U.K. police department assessing allegations about Andrew.
The spokesperson added, "As was previously stated, Their Majesties' thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse."
That same day, Kensington Palace released its first-ever statement about Andrew on behalf of William and Kate, which read, "I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."
Since the release of the Epstein documents, members of the royal family, including Queen Camilla, have faced heckling over Andrew at official engagements, showing the crisis has reached a new level of intensity for Britain's royals, according to ABC News royal contributor Victoria Murphy.
"I have to say, you know, we've been covering this now for many, many years, but this is the most pressure I think I have ever seen the royal family as a whole under over this," Murphy said. "We have never seen them heckled in the way that we have in the past few days ... to this extent on their public engagements, been put on the spot, been asked questions, and they have responded by releasing these unprecedented statements."
Murphy said she believes that in the public's eye, the controversy around Mountbatten-Windsor has moved beyond the former prince's own actions to what was allowed within the monarchy.
"This is definitely really damaging for the monarchy, and I think, you know, they keep saying certain things were a matter for Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, but this is also a question for the monarchy, as well for the institution -- who knew what and the culture that was allowed to exist that led to him behaving in the way that he did," Murphy said. "And I think that there are questions now being asked, and the focus is shifting onto them."
