The royals have seen what they're up against with Epstein scandal - despite hopes William's Saudi trip would shift attention

We had temporarily lost Prince William. Rushing through the narrow streets of the Old Town of Al Ula in Saudi Arabia, our guides eventually helped us catch up with him.

They had changed where he was due to arrive, after his lunch had run over. It was all fairly frantic, but for his aides, now tasked with getting him to his plane on time to head home, this was nothing like the other challenges they had faced.

This has felt like a week where the royal family have really seen what they are up against when it comes to the Andrew and Epstein scandal. The noise has been never-ending with shouts at both the prince and the King, and more documents being uncovered.

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There had been hopes that the Prince of Wales' trip to Saudi Arabia, a significant diplomatic visit, might have been enough to shift some of the attention.

With all the pictures of William with kids and women, there could not have been more effort made to sell this as a trip all about the future, projecting a positive image of Saudi Arabia and the work of the British royal family.

The visit, of course, was always going to be a political tightrope for him, with questions over human rights here, despite significant social charges. But nothing could stop the runaway scandal of the Epstein files from being the bigger problem.

Read more: Tour of Saudi Arabia ends with nature reserve visit

The demand to hear from the royals has been enormous. But the calls for them to tell us more risk overshadowing how huge it was to get those statements earlier in the week from both William and Kate and Buckingham Palace.

I have done this job long enough to know there must have been tense conversations before they got the final sign-off for release. They knew they would be blowing the story up again, but doing nothing was not an option.

For them, the problem is that people still want more. We expect to see our leaders on camera, to see them visibly taking control and being accountable.

There is no doubt that in recent years there has been a change in what the family are prepared to open up about on camera, remember for example the videos released about the King and Kate's cancer, but it's always on their own terms.

And from what we have had so far, I'm not sure on this one; they're going to bow to public pressure to talk, despite some saying silence only exacerbates the huge reputational risks.

For 15 years, this has been hanging over them, first the Queen, now Andrew's brother, the King, undoubtedly going so much further than their mother ever did. The "maximalist approach", as they describe it, stripping him of his titles and Windsor home.

And this week, in written words, we have seen greater efforts to distance themselves from Andrew, partly, I suspect, out of a concern about what else may come, despite his constant denials of any wrongdoing.

Whether you agree or not, for now, they do not feel like they have more questions to answer. Yes, there are pictures and emails that strongly suggest Epstein spent time at palaces and royal properties. In the end, Andrew maintained that contact, not the wider family or the institution.

(c) Sky News 2026: The royals have seen what they're up against with Epstein scandal - d