High Profile Parties, Island Visits, Disturbing Emails: All About Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Controversial Ties With Jeffrey Epstein

London: UK's disgraced former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest on Thursday has revived global attention to his ties with sexual offender and late American financier Jeffrey Epstein. It is alleged that Andrew passed confidential official information to Epstein. The controversial ties of Andrew-Epstein dates back to the 1990s and remains one of the most damaging scandals that the British royal family has confronted in the past decades. What began as elite socialising in the 1990s later evolved into allegations, lawsuits, leaked documents, and now a fresh police investigation in the United Kingdom.

When Did They First Meet?

Prince Andrew was introduced to Epstein in the early 1990s through British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, with whom Andrew shared a long friendship. While Andrew has publicly claimed he first met Epstein in 1999, correspondence released later cast doubt over this claim. A letter accessed by the UK media suggested their acquaintance began several years earlier in the early 1990s.

Andrew, Epstein and Maxwell were regularly seen together at high-profile gatherings in London and New York.

Controversial Email Exchanges

Records released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of the investigation into the Epstein sex scandal showed that paedophile Epstein offered a "trustworthy" Russian friend to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. A couple of e-mails shared by DOJ from the year 2010 showed a conversation between Epstein and Andrew, who sent emails from an account named 'The Duke'.

In one of the mails, Epstein told Andrew, "I have a friend who i think you might enjoy having dinner with, her name i s----- she will be [in] london 20-24." Andrew said that he would be "delighted" to meet her. He also asked, "Any other information you might know about her that might be useful to know? Like what have you told her about me and have you given her my email as well?" In response, Epstein wrote, “she 26, russian, clevere beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email.”

Notably, the mails are from August 2010, when Epstein's house arrest had ended. 

Andrew Invited Epstein To Buckingham Palace

After Epstein's house arrest ended, Andrew invited Epstein to Buckingham Palace as Epstein told him that they needed to have some “private time”. "We could have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy," Andrew replied.

The Disputed ‘Break-Up’

Andrew has maintained that he ended his association with Epstein in 2010. However, emails and documents released later suggested that the duo continued to be in contact later too. An email, allegedly sent by Andrew to Epstein in 2011, read, “Keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!!”

Did Andrew Share Confidential Files With Epstein?

It is alleged that Andrew passed sensitive official information to Jeffrey Epstein when he was a trade envoy in 2010 and 2011. Emails released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) from the Epstein files apparently showed that Andrew passed on reports of visits to Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam and confidential details of investment opportunities to Epstein.

Also Read- UK's Disgraced Ex-Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Arrested Amid Suspicion Of Sharing Confidential Files With Jeffrey Epstein