Britain | Brotherly shove
King Charles tries to limit the fallout from Andrew’s Epstein mess
How much did palace servants know and when did they know it?
February 12th 2026
Last month Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, suggested that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, should testify before America’s Congress on his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted child sex offender. On February 11th Gordon Brown, a former prime minister, waded in, urging police to interview Andrew. The king is feeling the fury. Twice in a week he has been heckled over his brother’s vices.
After the latest release from the Epstein files Thames Valley Police is assessing two separate allegations relating to the former prince. First, that Epstein trafficked a woman to the Windsor Castle estate for sex with Andrew. Second, that he forwarded Epstein confidential documents relating to his time as trade envoy. On February 9th a spokesman for Buckingham Palace said the king stands “ready to support” a police investigation (Charles had already stripped his brother of his royal status and home). Earlier Prince William, next in line to the throne, let it be known that he and his wife, Catherine, were “deeply concerned by the continuing revelations”.
The Peter Mandelson affair has yet to implicate civil servants in the former Labour politician’s dealings with Epstein. The same cannot be said for some of Andrew’s aides. Amanda Thirsk, his former private secretary, is mentioned 64 times in the files, facilitating meetings with Epstein and inviting him to Andrew’s 50th birthday party years after his conviction. David Stern, an aide who was made director of a royal charity, helped Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, secure Epstein’s assistance in paying off debts. He is mentioned over 7,000 times.
That these revelations stem from America’s Justice Department is itself an indictment. Once notorious for hounding the subjects of their reporting, royal correspondents have largely defaulted to deference. Official barriers don’t help. Even as a trade envoy, a member of the royal family is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act.
In polls the king has barely been tarnished by Andrew’s antics. But it is not only Andrew who may be sweating.■
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