Emails Reveal Prince Andrew's Attempt to Arrange Gaddafi-Epstein Meeting
Newly released emails from the Jeffrey Epstein files suggest that Prince Andrew, then known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and serving as a UK trade envoy, attempted to arrange a meeting between the disgraced financier and Libyan dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. The extraordinary correspondence, dated to 2010 and included in the latest tranche of documents released by the US Department of Justice, reveals that Epstein had been approached by Gaddafi's associates seeking help with managing the dictator's finances.
Code Names and Confidential Exchanges
The emails, investigated by Channel 4 News, refer to Gaddafi using the aliases 'the father' and 'the leader', while Prince Andrew is given the codename 'PA'. It is believed that 'father' was used to distinguish Gaddafi from his son, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, whom Prince Andrew had also met during his tenure as a trade envoy. In one email from October 7, 2010, Epstein wrote to the former duke's associate David Stern, stating: 'i want to go to tripoli lets organize with pa.'
Stern replied positively the same day, confirming: 'Spoke to PA. Tripoli can be organised, he wants more details.' Epstein later explained in a subsequent email: 'people that have seen the father, have asked me if i want to meet him as he does not know where to put his money [...] I wondered if Pa should make the intro instead'.
Planning and Follow-Up Communications
Stern responded that Prince Andrew had been briefed on the proposal and was 'thinking about the best approach', adding that he was due to see him on October 17 in Hong Kong. Prince Andrew's trade envoy diary corroborates his visit to China on that date. Weeks later, on November 3, 2010, Epstein followed up with Stern and was told that Prince Andrew would be speaking with his Gaddafi contact 'tonight or tomorrow'.
A day later, Prince Andrew directly reached out to Epstein, telling him, 'Libya fixed. Call me whenever'. Epstein, who claimed to be in the UAE at the time, sent a final email on the matter on November 7, 2010, stating: 'I will gladly go to tripoli, as i thinkg it would be interesting, but only if it is easy to organize and the meeting will definitely take place.' However, his travel itinerary in later emails revealed that he flew from the UAE to Turkey and then France, indicating the proposed meeting never took place.
Allegations of Confidential Treasury Leaks
The latest revelations come as other emails released within the Epstein files allege that Prince Andrew passed on a confidential Treasury briefing to his banker friend Jonathan Rowland. In 2010, he requested an official update on the financial crisis gripping Iceland at the time. When the Treasury sent him one, Prince Andrew forwarded it to Rowland to read 'before you make your next move', according to The Telegraph.
The former Duke of York may be facing a police probe over claims he leaked confidential data to Jeffrey Epstein during his role as the UK's special representative for trade. Thames Valley Police detectives are assessing whether to open an investigation. Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace said it stands 'ready to support' police in any investigation, in an unprecedented statement in which King Charles expressed his 'profound concern' at mounting allegations against his brother.
Connections to the Rowland Family
Mr Rowland was the former chief executive of Banque Havilland, founded by his father David Rowland, to whom Prince Andrew was also close. In the emails seen by The Telegraph, Prince Andrew tasked his deputy private secretary Amanda Thirsk to write to Michael Ellam, the Treasury's director general of international finance. At the time, the UK and Iceland were having a diplomatic row over British deposits lost in the 2008 banking crisis.
Ms Thirsk wrote on February 8, 2010: 'The Duke of York met with the prime minister of Iceland at Davos and would very much like to receive an update note on the latest position between the UK and Iceland on the matter of the deposits and the deposit scheme.' A week later, a different Treasury official replied with a note, which she forwarded to Prince Andrew. Two hours later, he passed it to Jonathan Rowland, whose bank had bought assets from a failed Icelandic lender a year earlier.
Prince Andrew told him: 'I pass this on to you for comment and a suggestion or solution? The essence is that Amanda is getting signals that we should allow the democratic process [to] happen before you make your move. Interested in your opinion? A.' Banque Havilland was connected to a major investigation by Icelandic authorities at the time, with the email sent days after Iceland's office of the special prosecutor raided the offices of Kaupthing Bank.
Further Revelations and Ongoing Scrutiny
Prince Andrew's connections to the Rowland family go back years. Guernsey-based Tory donor David Rowland once gave Sarah Ferguson £40,000 to help clear debts, and leaked documents in 2022 suggested he had previously paid off a £1.5million bank loan for the Duke in 2017. There are further documents in the Epstein files which show the close relationship between Prince Andrew and the Rowland family.
In an email sent to Epstein in September 2009, an individual referring to Sarah Ferguson said they 'will finalise F summary for you next week. Can't now cause she went to nepal paying for the first class flight with her rowland bank loan'. Thames Valley Police is still assessing whether to investigate Prince Andrew, after documents in the Epstein files showed he was forwarding official papers, including Whitehall reports from his visits to Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, and China, within minutes of receiving them.
Another time, he gave Epstein a briefing on investment opportunities in Afghanistan's Helmand province. Mr Rowland and Banque Havilland have been approached for comment regarding these allegations.
