Newly released emails from Jeffrey Epstein's estate have raised further questions about the Duke of York's account of when he ended his association with the convicted sex offender. The messages, sent months after Prince Andrew claimed to have severed ties, appear to show him still in communication with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
In March 2011, four months after Andrew stated he had ended his relationship with Epstein, the prince wrote to Epstein and Maxwell: "I can't take any more of this." This was in response to allegations published by the Mail on Sunday. Andrew had previously told the BBC's Newsnight in 2019 that he had cut ties with Epstein in 2010.
Another email from Epstein in 2011 appears to confirm the authenticity of a photograph showing Andrew with Virginia Giuffre, then aged 17. Epstein wrote: "Yes, she was on my plane and yes, she had her photo taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have." Andrew had suggested the photo might have been doctored and said he had no memory of it.
The emails were among thousands of documents released by the US House oversight committee. In one exchange, Andrew asked Epstein how he planned to respond to the Mail on Sunday's inquiry. Epstein replied: "Im not sure how to respond, the only person she didn't have sex with was Elvis."
Andrew also emailed Maxwell, stating: "Hey there! What's all this? I don't know anything about this! You must SAY so please. This has NOTHING to do with me. I can't take any more of this." In another message, he insisted: "Please make sure that every statement or legal letter states clearly that I am NOT involved and that I knew and know NOTHING about any of these allegations."
Epstein suggested to a journalist that investigating Giuffre would please Buckingham Palace, calling her claims "total horseshit". Andrew has consistently denied all allegations of wrongdoing. Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial, and Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
