Prince Andrew attended an intimate party with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein months after he was released from prison, according to newly released documents from the US justice department.
The files include emails from Hollywood publicist Peggy Siegal inviting several high-profile figures to a “last-minute casual dinner” for Andrew, who was on an “unofficial private visit” to New York in December 2010. The gathering appears to have taken place at Epstein’s New York home, where the Duke of York was staying.
The guest list drawn up by Siegal included film director Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn, political strategist George Stephanopoulos and his wife Alexandra Wentworth, journalist Katie Couric and talk show host Charlie Rose. It is not clear who ultimately attended, though Wentworth declined due to sick children. Siegal told Stephanopoulos that if he arrived on time he would have “private time” with Andrew.
Other emails between Epstein and an account named “The Duke” in August 2010 suggest the financier wanted to introduce Andrew to a 26-year-old Russian woman. The Duke replied that he would be in Geneva but would be “delighted to see her”. The email was signed “A” with what appears to be Andrew’s email signature. In a separate exchange, Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell addressed a sender as “Andrew” and referred to his then-wife Sarah Ferguson and their children.
Andrew has always strenuously denied allegations of sexual abuse, including claims by Virginia Giuffre that she was trafficked to him by Epstein. In 2022, he paid a reported £12m settlement to Giuffre without admitting liability. He has withdrawn from royal life and been stripped of his titles over his links to Epstein, who killed himself in prison in 2019.
