Recent emails have surfaced — casting further doubt on Prince Andrew’s story. They refute his claims of breaking off connections with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The trove, mostly dating from 2011-2015, shows how the Duke of York dealt with a growing sham scandal. Most significantly, Virginia Giuffre has named him in her accusation of sexual abuse.
In March of 2011, Prince Andrew personally answered allegations that were being posted by the Mail on Sunday tabloid. He articulated his pain by saying, “I can’t do this anymore.” This statement followed months of increasing scrutiny of his ties to Epstein.
In a 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, Prince Andrew cast doubt on the validity of this photograph. He claimed that the famous photo showing him with Giuffre might just be doctored. He maintained that he had a claimed, “absolutely no memory” of the photo being taken. The accompanying image has since transformed into a pivotal part of the fiery conversation that’s playing out over the allegations.
The newly released emails indicate that Prince Andrew was in direct contact with Epstein. How to deal with questions leaked to the Mail on Sunday. In one such email between Epstein and his lawyer, we see Epstein expressing doubts about Giuffre’s credibility. He trivializes her as “nothing more than a telephone answerer” and decries, “she never turned 15.”
Virginia Giuffre alleges that Prince Andrew forced her into sexual intercourse on three occasions. These events allegedly occurred at Maxwell’s home in London, Epstein’s home in Manhattan, and on Epstein’s private island, Little St James. Prince Andrew largely based his defense on alleging that Giuffre was “a total liar.” He asked authorities to check her Australian immigration application form to corroborate his claims.
Epstein’s emails are a stunning indication of the callousness underlying Giuffre’s allegations. He wrote, “Total horseshit, the daily mail paid her money, they admitted it, with the statement that it took money to coax out the truth.” Furthermore, he remarked on the absurdity of the situation, mentioning, “I’m not sure how to respond, the only person she didn’t have sex with was Elvis,” indicating his skepticism about the allegations.
Epstein indicated a desire for a journalist to investigate Giuffre’s story further, implying that Buckingham Palace would find such an inquiry beneficial.
The ongoing serious allegations and communications surrounding Prince Andrew make that impossible. His relationship to Epstein turned out to be very damaging for him. In light of these allegations, incoming King Charles revoked a large number of his royal titles.
The truth is Ghislaine Maxwell was deeply involved in Epstein’s operations, and what she did helped perpetuate abuse. In 2022, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison following her conviction for sex trafficking. The aftershocks from the Epstein scandal still threaten to devastate the credibility of those touched by it.