Freshly uncovered emails from Jeffrey Epstein's estate have exposed former UK Prince Andrew's frantic attempts to distance himself from the convicted sex offender, directly contradicting his previous accounts of their relationship.
The Desperate Pleas
Documents released by the US House Oversight Committee on Wednesday reveal that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor repeatedly begged Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to clear his name when a British newspaper prepared to publish a story about their connections fourteen years ago.
In March 2011 email exchanges, the former prince wrote to Epstein: "Please make sure that every statement or legal letter states clearly that I am NOT involved and that I knew and know NOTHING about any of these allegations." He added the desperate plea: "I can't take any more of this my end."
These messages were sent months after Andrew publicly claimed to have severed all ties with the convicted pedophile in December 2010, raising serious questions about the truthfulness of his statements.
Virginia Giuffre's Allegations
The email conversation was triggered when Andrew was forwarded a right-to-reply email from the Mail on Sunday newspaper, which contained multiple allegations involving the prince. The documents reference claims that a woman worked as Epstein's masseuse and allegedly had sex with Andrew at Maxwell's London home in 2001.
Further allegations stated that the same woman met Andrew again at Epstein's New York residence, where she and another girl were allegedly directed by Maxwell to sit on his knee. The claims suggest he groped them before Maxwell instructed the girls to have sex with him.
The emails appear to reference Virginia Giuffre's well-documented accounts of being sexually trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell. Giuffre consistently claimed she was forced to have sex with Andrew while underage on three separate occasions - in London, New York, and on Epstein's private Caribbean island, Little St. James.
In her posthumous memoir, Giuffre described the third encounter as "an orgy" on Epstein's island involving the financier and "approximately eight other girls" who "appeared to be under the age of 18 and didn't really speak English." She maintained that Andrew knew she was underage in the US when they were introduced.
Contradictions and Consequences
Andrew has consistently denied all allegations against him. In his notorious 2019 BBC interview, he stated: "I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever." He did acknowledge that visiting Epstein in 2010 was a "wrong decision" and expressed regret for behavior he described as "unbecoming."
Additional email evidence from July 2011 shows Epstein discussing Giuffre and the infamous photograph of Andrew with his arm around the then-17-year-old. Epstein wrote to a journalist: "Yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have."
The disgraced financier attempted to discredit Giuffre, writing: "I never misled you, this girl is a total liar" and suggesting the newspaper should investigate her claims about Andrew.
The mounting evidence and public pressure led Andrew to reach an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 after she filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he didn't admit wrongdoing, Andrew did acknowledge Giuffre's suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.
The scandal reached its peak when King Charles III took the extraordinary step of stripping Andrew of his royal titles earlier this month, following renewed public attention sparked by Giuffre's memoir.
Meanwhile, Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have requested Andrew answer questions as part of their investigation into Epstein and his accomplices. Congressman Suhas Subramanyam confirmed that Andrew has not yet responded to the committee's invitation to testify.
The newly released documents also shed light on Epstein's connection with Peter Mandelson, who was fired as British ambassador to the United States in September over his ties to the convicted sex offender. Emails reveal the pair remained in contact as late as 2016, with Mandelson writing: "63 years old. You made it" in reference to Epstein's birthday.
Their exchange suggests Mandelson had cautioned Epstein to avoid Andrew, with Epstein acknowledging "you were right about staying away from Andrew" and Mandelson responding, "Yes, without Andrew it would not have gone nuclear."
Following his dismissal two months ago, Mandelson expressed remorse in a letter to embassy staff, stating he continued "to feel utterly awful about my association with Epstein 20 years ago and the plight of his victims."
