Newly released emails from the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein appear to definitively contradict Prince Andrew’s long-standing public denials, with one message confirming that the Duke “did have her photo taken with Andrew” and affirming the authenticity of the infamous picture with accuser Virginia Giuffre.
The bombshell revelation, contained within thousands of documents from Epstein’s estate made public by the U.S. House Oversight Committee, delivers a fresh and severe blow to the former Prince, who has always maintained he has “absolutely no memory” of meeting Ms. Giuffre or of the photograph being taken.
The 2011 Exchange: ‘Yes, She Had Her Picture Taken’
The email in question dates back to July 2011, shortly after a British newspaper first published the image showing Andrew with his arm around a young Ms. Giuffre, with Ghislaine Maxwell visible in the background.
In the exchange with a journalist, Epstein addresses the veracity of the claim, writing: “Yes she was on my plane, and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have.”
While Epstein’s email proceeds to dismiss Ms. Giuffre’s claims as “total horseshit” and attempts to discredit her—even suggesting a reporter investigate her because “Buckingham Palace would love it”—the confirmation of the photograph’s authenticity directly undercuts Andrew’s public statements.
In his disastrous 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, Andrew claimed he had no recollection of the photo and stated that investigations carried out on his behalf were inconclusive on whether the image had been “faked or not.”
Ties Not Cut: Contradicting the Timeline
The newly released emails also cast deep shadow on Andrew’s claims that he had cut all ties with Epstein after the financier’s initial 2008 conviction.
Other documents released by the Committee show correspondence between the then-Prince and Epstein continuing into 2011. In one email sent that March, after the photograph was published and amid media inquiries about the allegations, Andrew wrote to Epstein: “I can’t take any more of this my end,” and asked Epstein to ensure all legal statements made clear he was “NOT involved and that I knew and know NOTHING about any of these allegations.”
This correspondence date is months after the end of 2010, the point at which Andrew had publicly claimed his relationship with the convicted sex offender had ceased.
Stripped of Titles
The latest revelations follow the King’s recent dramatic decision to strip his brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, of his remaining titles, effectively ending his public life.
The decision was prompted by the posthumous release of Ms. Giuffre’s memoirs and the initial public availability of documents from Epstein’s estate. Ms. Giuffre, who tragically died by suicide earlier this year, alleged in her memoir that she was trafficked to the former Prince for sex on three occasions, including at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home—the alleged location of the infamous photograph.
Andrew has consistently and vehemently denied all allegations of wrongdoing and previously settled a civil lawsuit brought by Ms. Giuffre for an undisclosed sum in 2022. The new emails, however, make his denial of even having met his accuser dramatically harder to sustain.