The real person who should be apologising and taking responsibility for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is the former Duke of York himself, HELLO!'s Royal Editor, Emily Nash, says.
The royal family is facing mounting pressure to speak out about Andrew – with the Prince and Princess of Wales releasing a statement saying they are "deeply concerned" ahead of Prince William's touchdown in Saudi Arabia later on Monday.
The King, meanwhile, has been heckled twice on public engagements in recent days. During a high street walkabout in Essex last week, he was asked: "Charles, Charles, have you pressurised the police to start investigating Andrew?"
And as he arrived to greet crowds at Clitheroe train station in Lancashire on Monday morning, Charles was once again asked about his brother, who featured multiple times in the latest release of the so-called "Epstein files".
But speaking today from Saudi Arabia, ahead of the Prince of Wales's three-day official visit, HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash says "Andrew himself" should be the one apologising and taking responsibility, rather than the responsibility falling on his family members.
Emily recalled how William intervened ahead of an Earthshot Prize trip to Boston in 2022 when a visitor to Buckingham Palace made allegations of racism and said she had been repeatedly asked where she came from.
© Getty ImagesEmily also emphasised that his statement today came with "crucial" timing, as it means the focus will be back on his work for the all-important Saudi visit, which includes meeting with controversial prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
She said: "If there's one thing we know about William, it's that if he has something to say, he will say it. There has been a clamour for some kind of comment from the heir to the throne, so this will go some way to answering that, even if it doesn't go quite as far as some commentators might like.
© Getty Images"There have also been calls for the King and William to apologize on behalf of the royal family for Andrew's behaviour. Like most of us, they're learning about these allegations in real time, so it's a developing situation. But surely the person who needs to apologise and take responsibility for this whole situation is Andrew himself."
Watch Emily's full explanation in the video above.
