Fresh court documents released in the United States suggest that
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor attended an intimate gathering with
Jeffrey Epstein in New York months after the disgraced financier
had been released from prison for sex offences.
The material forms part of a newly published tranche of files
issued by the US Department of Justice on Friday, adding further
detail to the former prince’s continued association with Epstein
following his 2009 conviction.
Among the documents are emails sent by the Hollywood publicist
Peggy Siegal, who appears to have organised what she described as a
“last-minute casual dinner” in December 2010 while
Mountbatten-Windsor was visiting New York on what was characterised
as an unofficial private trip.
The correspondence indicates that the dinner was arranged at
Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, where Mountbatten-Windsor was
staying during the visit. At the time, he later claimed, the
purpose of the trip was to formally end his relationship with the
financier.
The visit nonetheless drew intense scrutiny after photographs
emerged of the pair walking together in Central Park, undermining
claims that the relationship had been severed.
In his widely criticised BBC Newsnight interview in 2019,
Mountbatten-Windsor said he had chosen to confront Epstein in
person rather than by telephone, remarking that ending the
friendship remotely would have been “the chicken’s way of doing
it”.
However, the newly released emails suggest that social
engagements continued during the trip. Siegal circulated a proposed
guest list for what she described as a “very interesting, fast, fun
dinner”, inviting a number of prominent figures from politics,
journalism and entertainment.
Those contacted included the film director Woody Allen and his
wife Soon-Yi Previn; the political strategist George Stephanopoulos
and his wife, the actor Alexandra Wentworth; the broadcaster Katie
Couric; and the television presenter Charlie Rose. It remains
unclear who ultimately attended, though the correspondence
indicates that Wentworth withdrew because her children were
ill.
In one message, Siegal wrote to Stephanopoulos: “Come on time
and you will have private time with Andrew as he is staying at the
house.”
Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on federal charges of sex
trafficking but died by suicide in prison before standing
trial.
Mountbatten-Windsor has since withdrawn from public royal duties
and no longer uses his HRH style, following sustained controversy
over his links to Epstein. In 2022, he reached a reported £12
million settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that she was
trafficked to him by Epstein when she was 17. He has consistently
denied the allegations and made the payment without admitting
liability.
Ms Giuffre died last year.
The document release also includes emails sent by Ghislaine
Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate, to an account believed by
investigators to have belonged to Mountbatten-Windsor.
In one message dated March 2002, Maxwell offered condolences
following the death of the Queen Mother, writing: “Sweet pea —
sorry you had to rush home, and also under such sad
circumstances.”
She added: “She was wonderful, and I am happy that I managed to
meet her and speak with her. We shall reschedule. Love you.
Gx.”
A reply sent the following day from the same address – signed
“The Invisible Man” – read: “Got your message this morning. Sorry
to have missed you yesterday. I will ring later today to chat. A
xxx.”
Other emails attributed to the account include light-hearted
exchanges, including one in which the sender jokingly referred to
an acquaintance as “super sperm” in reference to having more
children.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in the
United States after being convicted in 2022 of child sex
trafficking offences connected to Epstein.
The latest disclosures reinforce the extent of the relationship
between Epstein, Maxwell and Mountbatten-Windsor, who is alleged to
have maintained contact with the financier even after his earlier
conviction and prison sentence in 2008.
Buckingham Palace has previously confirmed that Andrew’s royal
titles were removed amid the continuing fallout from his
association with Epstein – a relationship that remains the most
damaging scandal to engulf the modern monarchy.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source royalcentral.co.uk ’
