Key Points:
A February 2011 email shows Prince Andrew stayed in touch with Jeffrey Epstein months after claiming to end their friendship.
The message emerged shortly after the release of a photo showing Andrew with then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse.
The leaked correspondence has reignited public and royal pressure on Andrew, with growing calls to strip him of his titles.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York has managed to make another headline for his friendship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Newly revealed emails indicate that Prince Andrew maintained communication with convicted late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in February 2011. This comes despite his later claim that he had ended their relationship in December 2010.
The message, sent on February 28, 2011, from Andrew's official royal email account, expressed mutual concern and suggested ongoing ties, stating: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it." He further wrote,
Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!-Prince Andrew, Duke of York
The email surfaced a day after the first publication of a photograph showing Andrew with his arm around then-17-year-old Virginia Roberts Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell's London townhouse in March 2001.
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Giuffre has accused Andrew of sexual abuse, allegations he has consistently denied. In the message, signed “HRH The Duke of York KG,” Andrew made no reference to disputing the image or his encounter with Giuffre, despite later claiming in a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview that he had no recollection of meeting her and suggesting the photo might have been altered.
During the Newsnight interview on November 16, 2019, Andrew, now 65, told journalist Emily Maitlis that he travelled to New York in December 2010 to personally inform Epstein that their friendship was no longer appropriate following Epstein's 2008 conviction for sex crimes.
He described the Central Park walk captured in photographs as their final interaction, emphasizing that ending ties over the phone would have been cowardly. Andrew maintained he had no further contact after that date.
The February 2011 email, addressed to an account verified as Epstein's, challenges this timeline. It was first referenced in legal documents related to former Barclays Bank executive Jes Staley's appeal against a Financial Conduct Authority decision.
Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring underage girls and served 18 months in jail, died by suicide in jail in 2019 at age 66. Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend, is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking. Giuffre, who settled a lawsuit against Andrew in 2022 for a reported £12 million while he denied the claims, died by suicide in April at age 41.
Andrew's association with Epstein dates back to 1999, introduced through Maxwell. The pair attended events together, including a shooting weekend and a Sandringham party hosted by Andrew. Even after Epstein's arrest warrant in 2005 for sexual assault of a minor, he and Maxwell attended Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday at Windsor Castle in 2006.
The revelations have intensified scrutiny on Andrew. He resides at Royal Lodge in Windsor. Last year, Andrew was absent from the royal family's traditional Christmas gathering due to an alleged connection to a Chinese spy scandal.
Sources within the royal household indicate that King Charles has employed various measures to exert pressure, such as reducing Andrew's financial support. This exclusion from family events is expected to persist for at least another year. Public calls to remove Andrew's titles, including Duke of York, have gained significant support, though such actions require government approval rather than royal decree alone.
Buckingham Palace and Prince Andrew declined to comment on the new resurfaced email interaction between Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein. [Rh/Eth/VS]
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