Britain’s royal family has faced renewed embarrassment after the latest release of documents from the US investigation into Jeffrey Epstein revealed unsavory details about an affair between the convicted sex offender and a reporter.
The former prince is now known only as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. (AP)Emails released by the US Justice Department include an invitation to Epstein to dine at Buckingham Palace, Epstein’s offer to introduce his correspondent to a 26-year-old Russian woman, and photos showing Andrew kneeling over an unidentified man lying on the floor.
The revelations come three months after King Charles III stripped Andrew of his royal titles, including the right to be a prince, as he sought to distance the monarchy from a steady stream of stories about his younger brother’s relationship with Epstein that has tainted the royal family for more than a decade. The former prince is now known only as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
A tarnished personalityAs a result of that move, the damage to the recent emails will likely be limited to Mountbatten-Windsor, said Craig Prescott, an expert in constitutional law and monarchy at the University of London’s Royal Holloway.
The documents show that “they had to do something to separate Andrew from the rest of the family, and the nuclear option was the clearest way to do that,” Prescott said. “And the more that come out, the more you think they’ve been vindicated.”
The documents raise serious questions about Andrew’s judgment, while offering a rare look at how some of the world’s super elite behave behind closed doors, Prescott said.
“It’s kind of what they do behind the most gilded doors in New York or London or wherever,” he said. “It’s the kind of thing that seems to be going on at some event. And I think most people just think, wow, it’s all very extraordinary.”
The revelations have reignited questions about whether Mountbatten-Windsor should cooperate with US authorities investigating Epstein and his links to powerful people around the world.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer advised Mountbatten-Windsor on Saturday that she should tell American investigators what she knows about Epstein’s activities.
“In terms of testifying, I’ve always said that anyone who’s got information has to be prepared to share that information in whatever form they’re asked to, because if you’re not prepared to do that, you can’t be victim-focused,” Starmer said when he arrived in Japan to meet with the country’s leaders.
Mountbatten-Windsor said in late 2019 that she was willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency investigate Epstein. However, previous documents released by the Justice Department show that over 10 months of emails and conference calls, Mountbatten-Windsor’s lawyers declined offers to interview their client directly by federal prosecutors in person or by video.
Instead, his lawyers asked that he be allowed to answer questions in writing, which they said would be allowed in British courts. Finally, on September 23, 2020, prosecutors gave up securing a voluntary interview and said they planned to compel a British court to testify about Andrew. There is no indication that Mountbatten-Windsor ever gave such testimony.
The House Oversight Committee, which is investigating Epstein, asked Andrew to sit down for a transcribed interview in November.
A relationship under fireMountbatten-Windsor has been dogged by her relationship with Epstein since 2008, when the wealthy financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution of a minor. In 2011, the late Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17.
He tried to quell the controversy in a 2019 interview with the BBC, but the appearance only fueled scandal when he was criticized for offering implausible explanations for his behavior and failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims.
The former prince has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and rejected Giffre’s allegations. An email seeking comment on the release of the latest document was not answered. The presence of one’s name or picture in investigative files is not evidence of wrongdoing.
The emails released Friday include an August 2010 exchange between Epstein and an account labeled “The Duke” that occurred shortly after the financier was released from house arrest following his earlier conviction. Sub him Before he was barred from using the title, Mountbatten-Windsor was Duke of York.
“I have a friend I think you might enjoy dinner with,” Epstein wrote.
“The Duke” replied: “Certainly. I am in Geneva until the morning of the 22nd but would be glad to see him. Will he bring a message from you? Please give me my contact details to contact him.”
The email is signed “A”.
In response to a redacted email, “The Duke” then wrote, “Great. Any other information you might know about him that might be useful? Like what you told him about me and did you give him my email?”
Epstein, whose emails often contain typographical errors, replied: “She’s 26 years old, Russian, cute, beautiful, trustworthy, and yes she has your email.”
“That was fast!” replied the duke. “How are you? Good to be free?”
“It’s great to be free from so many things,” Epstein says.
The exchange drew shockwaves from former BBC royal correspondent Jenny Bond, who pointed out that it would be highly unusual for a royal to meet someone they know little about.
“I mean, what was he thinking?” Bond told the BBC. “What was Epstein thinking when he proposed that he have dinner with a very beautiful 26-year-old Russian woman? I mean, there was no red light saying, ‘Oh my goodness, you know, is this a security risk? Could she be a spy? Should I do this?’ no “It will be absolutely beautiful,” he said.
Harmful emailIn another exchange in September 2010, Epstein said he was in London.
“I’m just leaving Scotland should be less than 1800,” replied “The Duke” in an email signed with the initial A. “I’ll ring you when I get down if you can give me a number to ring.
“Alternatively we could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and have a lot of privacy.”
“BP please,” Epstein replied.
The release also includes three photographs of what appears to be Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over an unidentified man whose face has been modified.
In one photo, a man in blue jeans and a polo shirt looks into the camera In others, she is seen talking to an unidentified man with her hand on her stomach. There are no captions or any indication of when or where the photos were taken.
As unsavory as the revelations are, the palace can’t do more to sanction him, Prescott said.
“Given Andrew’s reputation, it’s completely gone,” he said.
