Prince William reacts as Earthshot Prize dragged into Epstein controversy

Prince William is said to be frustrated after his environmental initiative, The Earthshot Prize, was drawn into controversy linked to the Jeffrey Epstein files.

The charity came under scrutiny after it was revealed that Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, a senior executive at DP World and one of Earthshot’s founding partners and major donors, had exchanged emails with the disgraced financier in the past.

While there is no suggestion of wrongdoing by the Prince of Wales or his organisation, an insider told Heat Magazine that the association has caused significant strain on William.

They said he is angered that a project he created to focus on climate solutions is being mentioned alongside scandal.

“William’s absolutely hit the roof over this, to have his beloved charity being mentioned in the same breath as Epstein is sickening,” the source said.

They added, “There’s no suggestion of wrongdoing on his part, but the optics are brutal and it comes at a time when the monarchy already feels like it’s under siege.”

The insider further noted that this is more distressing for William because it has happened at a time when he is preparing to take over the throne and fix the monarchy’s reputation from the fallout of his “disgraced” uncle Andrew’s scandal linked to Epstein.

“He already feels like it’s on his shoulders to steady the ship and restore public faith, and now Earthshot, the one thing he built to represent hope and progress, is being pulled into the muck,” the source added. “It’s demoralizing.”

Even though William “knows there isn’t even a whisper that he did something shady himself,” it really does not matter “when the headlines are what people see.”

“The toll is very evident,” they continued. “He’s snappy, he’s short tempered, and he’s exhausted because he’s not sleeping properly.”

“Kate is brilliant at being able to soothe and speak sense to him, but privately there’s a fear that this won’t fade quickly and could cast a long shadow over their reign.”