King's 'profound concern' as police consider Andrew claims over Epstein

King Charles on a visit to Lancashire on Monday

King Charles has made his first intervention in the Epstein scandal, saying Buckingham Palace is ready to support the police as they consider allegations against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

"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," a Palace spokesman said.

"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," he said.

It comes after Thames Valley Police confirmed it is assessing whether there are grounds to investigate a complaint by the anti-monarchy group Republic, which reported Mountbatten-Windsor for suspected misconduct in public office and breach of official secrets.

Emails released by the US Department of Justice suggested that the former Prince Andrew had shared confidential information with Jeffrey Epstein, when he was serving as the UK's trade envoy in 2010 and 2011.

These latest Epstein files show Andrew passing on official reports of visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam.

There were also details of investment opportunities in Afghanistan, described as "confidential", which were passed on to Epstein.

The Buckingham Palace statement says that the King and Queen's "thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse".

It follows an earlier statement from the spokesperson for the Prince and Princess of Wales, saying they were "deeply concerned" by the latest revelations about Epstein.