Emails have emerged shedding new light on Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s ties to Epstein, and are the “final nail in his coffin,” according to an expert
Andrew has long denied meeting accuser Virginia Guiffre, let alone posing for a picture with her. But in a bombshell email release, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein confirmed that not only did he meet Ms Guiffre, but he also had his photograph taken with her.
In one now infamous image from 2001, Andrew is seen with his arm wrapped around the waist of a smiling Virginia as Epstein’s accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, looks on in the background. The disgraced former prince has long argued that the image could have been doctored, and insisted he had no recollection of it being taken.
However, in a freshly-released email between Epstein and a journalist, the shamed financier says that Andrew had his photo taken with Guiffre. “Yes she (Virginia) was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have,” he wrote in the correspondence from July 2011. The photograph was allegedly taken by Epstein himself, on a disposable camera that belonged to Virginia.
Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide at age 41 earlier this year, alleged that Andrew sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17, once at Maxwell’s London home where the photograph was taken, once in New York, and on another occasion at Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, Little St. James. Andrew has categorically and repeatedly denied these allegations.
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Andrew, however, told the BBC that he had not been upstairs in Maxwell’s home, where the image was taken, and that he was wearing his “travelling clothes” in the image, not the “suit and tie” he would wear to go out in London. He added, “Nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored but I don’t recollect that photograph ever being taken.”
Epstein also wrote to a publicist around the same time, boasting that if they were able to tarnish the credibility of Andrew’s accuser, Buckingham Palace would “love it” and it would ensure their access to royal events “for the rest of our lives”.
“The girl who accused Prince Andrew can also easily be proven to be a liar,” Epstein wrote. “I think Buckingham Palace would love it. You should task someone to investigate the girl Virginia Roberts, that has caused the Queen’s son all this agro (sic). I promise you she is a fraud. You and I will be able to go to ascot (sic) for the rest of our lives.”
In March 2011, when the Mail on Sunday contacted Maxwell about Virginia’s claims, offering her the right to reply, the email chain was forwarded to Andrew, who allegedly responded, “What’s all this? I don’t know anything about this! You must SAY so please. This has NOTHING to do with me. I can’t take any more of this.”
Later that month, when the claims were published, Epstein emailed a recipient called “The Duke” believed to be Andrew, asking, “You ok?” adding: “These stories are complete and utter fantasy”.
Andrew settled out of court when Virginia Giuffre brought a civil case against him in the US back in 2022. The settlement, reported to be worth millions, included no admission of guilt.
In 2016, emails between former ambassador to the US, Peter Mandelson, and Jeffrey Epstein also referred to Andrew. Mandelson claimed to have ceased contact with Epstein in 2010, but one email shows him taking relationship advice from the convicted sex offender, having cautioned him to stay away from Andrew.
Epstein wrote, “You were right about staying away from Andrew. I was right in your staying with Rinaldo [sic]”. Mandelson also is alleged to have advised Epstein not to take part in an interview with the BBC about his connection to Andrew in 2011, writing “No!!” in response to a request forwarded by the financier from the Today Show.
Andrew, too has claimed that he had cut off communication in 2010 – something the emails disprove. Now, stripped of his royal titles and honours by his “weary” elder brother King Charles over the scandal, one royal expert believes the email could be the ‘final nail in the coffin’ for the former prince.
Andrew Lownie, author of the explosive biography of Andrew and Sarah – ‘Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York’ – exclusively told the Mirror that in his opinion, the new emails make Andrew a “flight risk” and that his passport should be “surrendered” so the former Duke cannot leave the country.
In Lownie’s opinion, he believes the latest round of scandal could see disgraced Andrew flee the country for good. “This new information dump is the nail in the coffin for Prince Andrew, highlighting the lies he has told about his association with Jeffrey Epstein. There is still much more to emerge but there can be no doubt now about how deeply involved [he was] with the convicted paedophile. Andrew needs to be investigated and as a flight risk and his passport should be surrendered.”
He added: “I think there is a good chance Andrew would avoid any possible legal charges by going to Middle East like King Juan Carlos. That would certainly suit the Royal Family. If the authorities are serious about investigating him and holding him to account then his passport needs to be confiscated.”
Sources speaking to The Sun recently claimed that Andrew had been offered a new home in Abu Dhabi, a potential “escape route” provided by the wealthy ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “The sheikh has offered free use of a vast royal palace next to an idyllic waterway in the desert kingdom,” the newspaper claimed, adding that the offer was made due to Andrew’s “kindness” towards the sheikh whilst he worked as a UK trade envoy. If Andrew were to move there, he would be following “in the footsteps of another disgraced royal, exiled King Juan Carlos I of Spain.”
Buckingham Palace has been contacted for comment.
