Skip to content

Prince Edward says remember victims after Epstein files released

Alicia Curry
News imageWorld Governments Summit Prince Edward speaks at World Government Summit in Dubai. He wears a blue suit jacket, blue and white checked shirt and a red tie. His hands are raised to chest height as he gesticulates whilst speaking. He sits in front of a blue board with 'World Government Summit' printed in white behind him.World Governments Summit
Prince Edward in Dubai

The Duke of Edinburgh has said it is "really important" to remember Jeffrey Epstein's victims as his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, faces growing pressure to give evidence over what he knows about the late sex offender.

Prince Edward's comments are the first from a senior royal since Andrew was pictured in the latest tranche of documents relating to Epstein.

The images appear to show Andrew kneeling on all fours over a female lying on the ground, while other files repeatedly reference him and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.

Being mentioned in the documents is not an indication of any wrongdoing.

Prince Edward made the comments at the World Governments Summit in Dubai after being asked by a CNN journalist how he was "coping" with the fallout from the files.

The duke replied: "Well, with the best will in the world, I'm not sure this is the audience that is 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."

News imageUS Department of Justice A grey-haired man dressed in a white polo shirt and blue jeans looks directly at the camera. He is on all fours directly over an unidentified female who is laying on the floor.US Department of Justice
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in an image from the documents relating to Epstein

Andrew, formerly known as Prince Andrew and the Duke of York, was stripped of his royal titles in October after increasing scrutiny over his links to Epstein.

He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Emails released on Friday showed a number of exchanges between Epstein and Andrew in the years after the US billionaire pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor.

The files also show there have been multiple unsuccessful approaches from US authorities for Andrew to help with Epstein inquiries.

Calls are now growing for Andrew to give evidence of what he knows about Epstein in the US.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has been amongst those calling for him to testify, and told reporters over the weekend that "anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information".

"You can't be victim-centred if you're not prepared to do that," he said. "Epstein's victims have to be the first priority."