The Prince and Princess of Wales have been “deeply concerned” by the revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal involving Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Kensington Palace has said.

It is the first time the views of William and Catherine have been known about the crisis, which has engulfed the monarchy and Westminster, and their thoughts “remain focused on the victims”.

The prince is en route to Saudi Arabia for the start of a three-day tour of the Middle East country, where he will spend the first day with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson said before the visit: “I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continued revelations. Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”

With the start of the tour just a few hours away, there was a real sense from Kensington Palace that it wanted the position of the prince and princess to be known, so William could focus on the trip – likely to be the biggest diplomatic test to date of his overseas visits in support of the UK.

Much of the work of the royal family in recent weeks has been overshadowed by the Epstein scandal, which was reignited when millions of documents associated with the convicted child sex offender were released by US authorities.

These sparked a string of allegations against William’s uncle and have led to UK police launching an investigation into Peter Mandelson over alleged misconduct in public office. The former minister has denied any wrongdoing.

Among the claims are that a second woman was sent to the UK by Epstein for a sexual encounter with Mountbatten-Windsor, and also that the former prince and Epstein asked an exotic dancer for a threesome in the financier’s Florida home.

The latest allegation is that Mountbatten-Windsor shared confidential reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore in his role as the UK’s trade envoy.

The former duke, who was stripped of his titles by the king last year, has denied any wrongdoing and last week moved out of the Royal Lodge into a temporary residence on the Sandringham estate.

Mountbatten-Windsor has so far made no comment on the latest Epstein files.

Prince Edward was the first royal to publicly speak out since the Epstein documents were released, saying last week that it was important to “remember the victims” when asked how he was “coping” since the US Department of Justice’s document dump.