According to a newly disclosed email, Jeffrey Epstein seems to have verified that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was seen with Virginia Giuffre.
The email from Epstein – who is purported to have captured the image – states: “Yes she [Giuffre] was on my plane and yes she actually had her picture taken with Andrew.”
Epstein’s statement seemingly challenges the former prince’s claim that he never met Ms Giuffre and his persistent insinuation that the photo of him with her arm around her might have been altered.
The email from July 2011 was made public on Wednesday, along with over 20,000 pages of communication from the estate of the convicted sex offender and disgraced financier.
Ms Giuffre – a significant accuser of Epstein – claimed that Andrew had sexual relations with her three times as a minor.
Andrew, who has refuted the claims, reached a settlement with Ms Giuffre in 2022 outside of court. The settlement included no admission of fault or apology.
The email from Epstein to his publicist Peggy Siegal was dispatched shortly after Ms Giuffre was publicly recognized in the Mail on Sunday.
The publication also featured the image of her with Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
In a 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, Andrew denied ever meeting Ms Giuffre and proposed that the photograph – or parts of it – might have been manipulated.
At that time, Andrew stated: “Nobody can demonstrate whether or not that photograph has been altered, but I don’t recall that photograph ever being taken.”
The documents – disclosed by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee – also imply that Andrew and Epstein maintained contact four months after the prince alleged that their association had ceased.
On 4 March 2011, Maxwell seems to have sent a right-of-reply email from the Mail on Sunday to Epstein.
It details a range of accusations, including that Andrew engaged in sexual acts with a young woman introduced to him at Maxwell’s London residence in 2001.
The message appears to have subsequently been forwarded by Epstein to Andrew, through a redacted email address labeled “The Duke”.
Andrew’s response states: “Please ensure that every statement or legal letter clearly indicates that I am NOT associated and that I knew and know NOTHING concerning any of these claims. I can’t endure any more of this on my end.”
The Mail on Sunday proceeded to publish its article alongside the image.
It featured accusations that girls were instructed to sit on Andrew’s lap at Epstein’s New York residence, that he groped them, and that he participated in sexual interactions on Epstein’s private island.
The documents also disclose attempts by Epstein to undermine Ms Giuffre’s statements.
In the July 2011 email to his publicist, Epstein additionally stated: “The girl who accused Prince Andrew can also be easily shown to be untruthful. I believe Buckingham Palace would appreciate it.
“You should assign someone to look into the girl Virginia Roberts, who has caused the Queen’s son all this trouble [sic].”
The latest release follows a request from Democrats in the US Congress for Andrew to provide answers as part of their investigation into Epstein, who passed away in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking.
A Democrat on the House Oversight Committee – Congressman Suhas Subramanyam – informed BBC Newsnight that Andrew had yet to respond to the Committee’s request to testify before them.
He remarked that the former prince “doesn’t have to board a plane to testify, he can do it online.”
Andrew was divested of all his titles earlier this month after Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir reignited interest in his connections to Epstein and Maxwell.
