President Donald Trump weighed in Thursday on the arrest of former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles III, calling the situation “very sad” and “so bad for the British royal family.
“I think it’s a shame,” Trump told reporters. “I think it’s very sad. I think it’s so bad for the royal family. It’s very, very sad. To me, it’s a very sad thing.”
Trump made the remarks aboard Air Force One after landing in Georgia for a speech on the economy. The former prince was arrested Thursday by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest comes as more information about his ties to the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein has been made public with the latest release of Jeffrey Epstein-related files.
Documents released this year show the former prince shared confidential government information with Epstein during his time as U.S. trade envoy for the United Kingdom. Police confirmed Feb. 9 that they were examining the reported illegal communications between the two men.
The 66-year-old was released later the same day under investigation, and no charges have been filed.
Trump called the former prince’s brother, King Charles III, a “fantastic man” ahead of the monarch’s upcoming visit to the United States.
Charles has publicly stressed that due process must be followed, while the arrest marks an extraordinary moment for the British monarchy, as a senior royal being taken into custody is virtually unprecedented in modern times.
WHAT THE DOJ’S EPSTEIN FILES SAID ABOUT PRINCE ANDREW
Trump also called the Epstein saga “interesting” because he was seldom talked about when he was alive, “but now they speak.”
“I’m the one that can talk about it because I’ve been totally exonerated,” the president said. “I did nothing, in fact, the opposite, he was against me.”
