Prince Andrew appeared to be in touch with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously admitted, according to new court documents.
The documents, viewed by multiple outlets including Bloomberg and BBC News, showed an email exchange between Epstein and a member of the royal family, believed to be Andrew, 64.
“Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!” read an email sent to Epstein from an unnamed royal, believed to be Andrew, in February 2011, the outlets said.
In another email, sent in June 2010, Epstein asked the royal if he could “find time to show jes around with vera that would be fun.” The royal then asked who Vera was.
Related: Unsealed Court Documents Reveal Names of Jeffrey Epstein’s Associates
Documents that name dozens of public figures associated with accused sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been unsealed. The first of what is expected to be multiple batches of documents were released in federal court in New York on Wednesday, January 3, following federal judge Loretta A. Preska’s December 18 ruling. The documents were initially filed […]
Epstein replied: “my future ex wife, i know jes and she would love to see home.”
The emails were unearthed during a court case involving the Financial Court Authority (FCA) and banker Jes Staley, who was banned from senior roles in the finance sector over allegations that he had not been transparent about his relationship with Epstein.
In court proceedings, in which Staley is appealing the FCA’s ban, unearthed emails between Staley and Epstein were shown as well as emails between Epstein and an unnamed British royal thought to be Andrew, BBC reported.
The emails contradict Andrew’s earlier statements made during an interview with Emily Maitlis for Newsnight on November 14, 2019. In the interview, the prince opened up about his friendship with Epstein, who died in prison in August of that year.
“Was that visit, December of 2010, the only time you saw him after he was convicted?” Maitlis asked Andrew during the interview, to which he responded: “Yes.”
Asked whether he spoke to him after that, Andrew responded: “No.”
Andrew was also questioned about Virginia Giuffre’s allegations that he sexually assaulted her when she was underage on Epstein’s property. He denied Giuffre’s claims, saying he had “no recollection of ever meeting this lady.”
Andrew reached a settlement with Giuffre for an undisclosed sum in February 2022.
Following the backlash from Andrew’s Newsnight interview, the royal stepped down from official duties on November 20, 2019.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstance relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has became a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” Andrew said in a statement at the time.
“Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission,” the statement added.
It continued: “I continue to unequivocally regret my ill-judged association with Jeffrey Epstein. His suicide has left many unanswered questions, particularly for his victims, and I deeply sympathize with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure. I can only hope that, in time, they will be able to rebuild their lives. Of course, I am willing to help any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment when contacted by Us Weekly.
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