Newly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein estate have revealed the disgraced financier allegedly plotted to kill Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, according to reports. The claims emerge from a cache of around 23,000 documents provided to a US congressional committee investigating Epstein's sex trafficking network.
The documents show that Epstein's legal team advised him to cut ties with the Duke of York and his ex-wife, describing their association as 'disastrous'. A 2011 reputational management document from Osborne & Partners LLP stated: 'It is disastrous for you to be seen in any way to facilitate his lifestyle, or to help with his well documented issues. Their sole interest in you and Ghislaine is as a means to attack Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.'
The revelations come as both Andrew and Ferguson face renewed scrutiny over their links to Epstein. Ferguson has admitted borrowing £15,000 from Epstein, but new emails suggest the sum was far higher, with one email showing she allegedly asked for between $50,000 and $100,000 to cover 'small bills' in 2010. The Daily Mail reported that Epstein may have 'bankrolled' Ferguson for 15 years.
Ferguson's brand has become 'toxic', according to a PR expert, after an email emerged in which she called Epstein a 'supreme friend' in 2011. Her spokesperson claimed she sent the email because she was terrified for her safety, alleging Epstein had threatened to 'destroy' her and her family. Another email showed Epstein instructing his legal team to make Ferguson say she was 'misquoted' in an interview where she tried to distance herself from him.
Prince Andrew, who denies all allegations of sexual assault, failed to respond to a US congressional committee's request for testimony within a two-week deadline. The documents name Andrew more than any other British figure, although a name's appearance does not imply wrongdoing.
