Emails released by the US Department of Justice appear to show Prince Andrew vouching for Jeffrey Epstein during a state visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2010. The correspondence, sent from 'The Duke' to Epstein on 24 November 2010, references a meeting with UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In the email, Prince Andrew wrote: 'You are in big time. He thinks you are great and would like to introduce you to Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown Prince. Doesn’t think it can be done before the end of the year though. I will discuss further and report back.' The visit coincided with a trip by the Queen, Prince Philip, and then-Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Epstein responded by suggesting a holiday, writing: 'Ask Abdullah for a date when we can all go on vacation.' A separate email from Epstein to Prince Andrew on 7 November 2010 indicated that Epstein had already met with Sheikh Abdullah and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai.
Another email showed Epstein guiding Prince Andrew on how to vouch for him, advising him to highlight qualities such as 'trust', 'financial expertise', 'funder of extreme science', and 'fun'. The emails do not imply any wrongdoing by UAE officials.
The correspondence occurred while Prince Andrew served as the UK's special representative for trade and investment, a role he held from 2001 to 2011. In other emails, Prince Andrew discussed circumventing restrictions on investments with Epstein, noting that delegating responsibility to trusts, banks, or trusted individuals would avoid problems.
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein's crimes.
