Newly revealed emails show Andrew Mountbatten Windsor told Jeffrey Epstein it would be “good to catch up in person” months after the paedophile financier was released from prison.
Epstein, who had been jailed for prostituting minors, was released in July 2009.
He emailed the then-prince on 15 April 2010 to suggest he should meet American banker Jes Staley in London later that month.
Andrew replied that he would be out of the UK on the suggested date, but said he would try to “drop by” New York later in the year.
“I’ll look and see if I can make a couple of days before the summer,” he wrote. “It would be good to catch up in person.”
Andrew and Epstein were pictured together in New York’s Central Park in December 2010, in a meeting Andrew later claimed was to end their friendship.
The correspondence was released on Friday in unsealed court documents from a 2023 legal battle between the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned a private island, and JP Morgan, over its alleged dealings with the billionaire. The bank settled the lawsuit.
The documents show Epstein forwarded the email to Mr Staley, who was banned from holding senior finance roles by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2023 after he was found to have misled the regulator over the nature of his relationship with the disgraced billionaire.
Virginia Giuffre’s family calls for ‘investigation’
It comes as Virginia Giuffre’s family called for Andrew to be “investigated” over her claims against him.
Ms Giuffre, who took her own life earlier this year, claimed that – as a teenager – she had sex with Andrew on three occasions after being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.
Andrew has always denied the claims. Ms Giuffre sued in 2021 and the case was settled outside of court for a sum believed to have been around £12m.
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In an interview with Gareth Barlow on Sky News, Ms Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts praised the King for stripping his brother of his remaining titles and ousting him from Windsor Lodge.
“But it’s not enough,” he continued. “He’s [Andrew] is still walking around a free man. He’s not going to be living on the side of the road. He should be investigated.”
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Mr Roberts also accused the US government of “safeguarding documents of people that are implicated” with Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
“We need to fully investigate them,” he said, calling for the King to “tell President Trump ‘put your big boy pants on’, and let’s get these Epstein files released so that we can go after these monsters properly”.
Public supports Charles, poll shows
A poll has revealed the public supports the King’s decision to strip Andrew of his titles and remove him from the Royal Lodge.
Of the 4,739 people surveyed by YouGov, 79% answered “the right decision” to the question: “Do you think the King has made the right or wrong decision to strip Andrew Mountbatten Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew) of his prince title?”
But when asked about the speed of King’s response to the Andrew-Epstein revelations, 58% of those asked indicate they feel the monarch moved “too slowly”.
Timeline for Andrew’s move out of Windsor
While it is understood Andrew will leave Royal Lodge as soon as is practicable, it has now been reported that he will not relocate until after Christmas.
This is due to the lengthy process of him giving up the 30-room home, which he currently shares with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Read more:
Why Andrew is still in line to the throne
The Sandringham homes he could move to
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Andrew will move on to the King’s Sandringham estate, which is the traditional location for the royals’ Christmas gathering. The delay means any potential encounters over the festive period will be avoided.
Sarah Ferguson will need to make her own accommodation arrangements.
