Prince Edward speaks out amid Jeffrey Epstein furore

Prince Edward has become the first Royal Family member to speak about the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, saying it was ‘really important always to remember the victims’.

The Duke of Edinburgh was asked ‘how are you coping’ when questioned during the World Governments Summit in Dubai about new files relating to the paedophile.

Edward told a CNN journalist on stage today: ‘Well, with the best will in the world, I’m not sure this is the audience that is probably the least bit interested in that.

‘They all came here to listen to education, solving the future, but no, I think it’s all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this? A lot of victims in this.’

It comes after more than three million documents were published by the US Department of Justice relating to the late financier Epstein last Friday night.

The bombshell papers have revealed more details about the American sex offender’s contact with Edward’s disgraced older brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Edward’s response followed a question from CNN’s Eleni Giokos, who asked: ‘And I have to say this, and it’s super important, because, you know, it’s been dominating headlines. We all know the last few days have been very interesting, very difficult.

‘And I’m sure for you sir as well, this is an important question to ask, and I want to ask it in the context of what we’ve seen from Their Majesties and their response. And they’re saying that we should be focused specifically on experience of the victims.

‘The palace has been very, very clear on that. We’ve just heard some commentary from Prime Minister Keir Starmer as well, and bearing that in mind, and he’s saying that there needs to be assistance for the victims.

‘And I wonder what you think of this, because it is so close to home, clearly very difficult. And I know you’ve put in various plans in place to move the institution forward, but how are you coping with that?’

It comes as the King was urged to contact lawyers representing a woman who claims to have been sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Andrew.

Andrew has featured in the Epstein documents on a number of occasions, with new images in the latest release appearing to show him crouched over an unidentified woman who is lying on the floor.

Elsewhere in the document dump, screenshots and scans appear to show Andrew exchanged emails with Epstein about a ‘beautiful’ Russian woman, and invited him to Buckingham Palace.

His ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also features in the papers, appearing to accuse Epstein of it being ‘crystal clear to me that you were only friends with me to get to Andrew’. 

The former Duke of York was stripped of his titles by Charles last year after the posthumous publication of a book by Virginia Giuffre.

She also alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 17.

Andrew paid millions to Ms Giuffre, a woman he has claimed never to have met, to settle a civil sexual assault claim in 2022. 

The former prince has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Last October, the King began the formal process to strip the titles from Andrew and ensured he moved out of his Windsor home to Sandringham.

In a statement at the time, the palace said: ‘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.’

Also this week, Lord Mandelson’s ties to convicted sex offender Epstein have led to calls for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to strip him of his peerage.

The former ambassador to the US resigned his membership of the Labour Party after the latest document release.

In an email exchange from 2009, Lord Mandelson, then the business secretary, appeared to tell Epstein he would lobby ministers about a tax on bankers’ bonuses.

Bank statements from 2003 and 2004 appeared to show he received payments totalling $75,000 from the financier, and Epstein is also said to have paid for an osteopathy course for Lord Mandelson’s husband.

Edward has been visiting the United Arab Emirates since Saturday, where the palace said he would ‘champion the importance of education, particularly non-formal education and experiential learning, to develop skills and opportunities for young people worldwide’.

He is meeting students undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award and will ‘speak to educators about opportunities to collaborate with the award’, the palace added.