The release of the Epstein Files by the US Department of Justice last year revealed the extent of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson's connections to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. While being named in the files does not suggest wrongdoing, several surprising details about their interactions came to light in the avalanche of emails and photographs included.
Key Revelations and Arrest
The most significant revelations involving Andrew included allegations that he shared confidential information in his role as the UK's trade envoy. In February of this year, Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released after spending several hours in a Norfolk police station and remains under investigation.
Further items in the files included images showing a man who appears to be Andrew lying across the laps of women whose faces were redacted, and another of the man on his hands and knees crouching over an unidentified woman lying on the floor.
Sarah Ferguson's Emails and Fallout
Sarah Ferguson's name was also featured as her various emails highlighted a number of lies, deceptions and crude comments, including some about her own daughter. Ever since the email in which she called Epstein "a supreme friend" emerged in September 2025, Ms Ferguson has been invisible. Her social media sites have been neglected, countless charities have wiped her from their walls of fame, her various business ventures have closed, and her once-beloved Sarah's Trust charity has shut down.
The scandal caused by the files saw both Andrew and Sarah stripped of their Dukedom of York titles and evicted from Royal Lodge in Windsor, the home they continued to share despite their 1996 divorce.
Timeline of the Relationship
1990s - Through his longtime friend Ghislaine Maxwell, then-Prince Andrew was introduced to Jeffrey Epstein. While Andrew later claimed in interviews that their first meeting occurred around 1999, flight logs and public reports suggest their contact, which included travel on Epstein's private jet, began earlier. Sarah Ferguson, who remained close to Andrew following their 1996 divorce, was drawn into Epstein's social circle around the same time.
1999–2000 - Epstein hosted a dinner for Andrew in New York, and Andrew visited Epstein's private Caribbean island, Little St. James. In 2000, Epstein and Maxwell attended a major royal gathering at Windsor Castle celebrating landmark birthdays, including Andrew's 40th, with Sarah Ferguson also present. It was in this phase of the relationship that Andrew was understood to have invited Epstein and Maxwell to Balmoral Castle.
2001 - The late Virginia Giuffre (formerly Roberts) alleged that Epstein trafficked her when she was 17, forcing her to engage in sexual encounters with Andrew in London, New York, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Andrew has repeatedly and firmly denied the allegations. A photograph of Andrew with his hand around Giuffre's waist, with Maxwell standing in the background, dates back to this time.
2008 - Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of solicitation of prostitution, including involving a minor, and served a 13-month sentence.
2009 - After Epstein completed his sentence, Sarah Ferguson continued exchanging affectionate emails with him, praising him as a "pillar" and "the brother I have always wished for". The Epstein Files revealed conversations regarding potential stays at royal properties and assistance in securing accommodation.
2010 - Andrew stayed at Epstein's Manhattan residence that December, where the two were photographed walking together in Central Park. During the same visit, Epstein provided £15,000, coordinated through Andrew's royal office, to clear debts owed to Sarah Ferguson's former assistant.
2011 - Publication of photographs showing Andrew and Epstein together in New York sparked widespread outrage. Ms Ferguson soon confirmed receiving £15,000 from Epstein, calling the acceptance a "gigantic error of judgment." Amid the intensifying fallout, Andrew resigned as the UK's special envoy for international trade and investment.
2015–2019 - Court filings from Ms Giuffre's civil litigation against Epstein formally named Andrew. Following Epstein's federal sex trafficking arrest in July 2019 and his death in August, Andrew sat down for a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview that November. Attempting to defend his ties to Epstein by claiming he could not sweat and that he was at a Pizza Express in Woking to rebut specific claims, he attracted fierce criticism and was forced to withdraw from public royal life.
2022–2026 - Having already been stripped of his military titles and royal patronages, Andrew settled Ms Giuffre's civil sexual assault suit out of court with no admission of liability. Subsequent court filings and Department of Justice disclosures revealed further communications linking Epstein to both Andrew and Ms Ferguson.
