LONDON: Prince William and Princess Catherine expressed concern for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein in a statement released Monday, the latest move by the British monarchy to distance itself from revelations about the former Prince Andrew's relationship with the convicted sex offender.
Britain's most popular royals say that they were appalled by the contents of more than 3 million pages of documents released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Justice.
"I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continued revelations,'' the palace said in a statement. "Their thoughts remain focused on the victims."
The statement released ahead of William's three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, which begins Monday, is part of the monarchy's response to the escalating crisis surrounding the former prince, who was stripped of his royal titles in October after previous revelations about his relationship with Epstein. King Charles III's 65-year-old brother is now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
The king last week forced Mountbatten-Windsor to leave his longtime home at Royal Lodge near Windsor Castle, accelerating a move that was first announced in October but wasn't expected to be completed until later this year.
Mountbatten-Windsor is now living on the king's Sandringham estate in eastern England. He will live temporarily at Wood Farm Cottage while his permanent home on the estate undergoes repairs.