King Charles has made his first intervention in the latest round of revelations in the Epstein scandal, saying Buckingham Palace is ready to support the police as they consider allegations against his brother 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.

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.

After the trips, on 30 November 2010, he appears to have forwarded official reports of those visits sent by his then-special adviser, Amit Patel, to Epstein, five minutes after receiving them.

There were also details of investment opportunities in Afghanistan, described as “confidential”, which appear to have been passed on to Epstein on 24 December 2010.

Under official guidance, trade envoys have a duty of confidentiality over sensitive, commercial, or political information about their official visits.

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”.

By Anthony Solly

HONG KONG

Jimmy Lai, the 78-year-old pro-democracy media tycoon and a fierce critic of Beijing, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday in the most severe punishment handed down under Hong Kong’s national security law, which Beijing imposed in 2020.

Lai was convicted in December on charges of conspiring with foreign forces and publishing seditious articles—crimes that carried a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

The sentence is seen as a definitive milestone in the law’s use to silence political opposition in the former British colony.

His eight co-defendants, including six former employees of his now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper and two activists, received prison terms ranging from six years and three months to 10 years on related collusion charges.

Lai smiled and waved to supporters upon entering the courtroom but left solemnly as some in the public gallery wept. His lawyer, Robert Pang, declined to comment on whether an appeal would be filed.

By James Kisoo

LOS ANGELES

The cause of death for beloved comic actor Catherine O’Hara has been determined to be a pulmonary embolism, with cancer listed as the underlying cause.

A Los Angeles County death certificate issued Monday names the pulmonary embolism—a blockage in an artery of the lungs—as the immediate cause of the “Schitt’s Creek” and “Home Alone” star’s death on Jan. 30 at age 71.

It lists rectal cancer as the long-term cause.

The oncologist who signed the certificate indicated he had been treating O’Hara since March of last year and last saw her on Jan. 27. She died at a hospital in Santa Monica, California.

The Canadian-born actor, an alum of the landmark sketch show “SCTV,” was best known for her roles as Macaulay Culkin’s mother in two “Home Alone” movies and as the melodramatic matriarch Moira Rose on “Schitt’s Creek,” for which she won an Emmy.

Her death came as a surprise to the public, and an initial statement from her representatives said only that she died “following a brief illness.”

Collaborators including Culkin, Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, and Pedro Pascal paid tribute to her following her passing.

The document states she was cremated, listed her profession as “actress,” and noted she had worked in the business for 50 years.

By James Kisoo