Former Prince Andrew named in newly released Epstein emails, says he had picture taken with Virginia Giuffre

Freshly unsealed emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s archives have reignited scrutiny on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, revealing direct correspondence between the disgraced financier, his partner Ghislaine Maxwell, and the former Duke of York.

The emails, part of a trove of documents released by the US House Democrats on Thursday, include a message in which Epstein acknowledges Virginia Giuffre’s presence on his private jet and her now-infamous photograph with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor.

Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, alleged she had sex with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor three times as a teenager while being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell, something he has repeatedly denied.

One email, believed to have been sent by Epstein in 2011 and published by the BBC, reads: “Yes she (Giuffre) was on my plane and yes she had her picture taken with Andrew.”

That claim directly contradicts remarks made by the former prince during his 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, when he described the photograph of himself with Giuffre as potentially doctored and insisted he had no recollection of meeting her.

“Nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored, but I don’t recollect that photograph ever being taken,” Mr Mountbatten-Windsor told journalist Emily Maitlis.

“I don’t believe that photograph was taken in the way it has been suggested,” he added.

The newly surfaced emails also shed light on a separate 2011 email exchange involving Maxwell, Epstein and Mr Mountbatten-Windsor.

According to the new documents released, Maxwell forwarded an email from the Mail on Sunday to Epstein on March 4, 2011, outlining allegations that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor had sexual contact with a young woman introduced to him at Maxwell’s London home in 2001.

That message appears to have been passed from Epstein to an address labelled simply “The Duke”.

In his alleged reply, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor wrote: “Please make sure that every statement or legal letter states clearly that I am NOT involved and that I knew and know NOTHING about any of these allegations. I can’t take any more of this my end.”

The late Queen’s second son has always denied all allegations of sexual misconduct and settled Giuffre’s civil lawsuit in 2022 with no admission of liability.

Meanwhile, the fallout from the newly released Epstein files has also drawn in US President Donald Trump.

Emails naming Mr Trump allege he “knew about the girls”, according to correspondence between Epstein, author Michael Wolff, and Maxwell.

Mr Trump lashed out at Democrats over the revelations, claiming the emails were a hoax.

“The Democrats are trying to bring up the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax again because they’ll do anything at all to deflect on how badly they’ve done on the Shutdown, and so many other subjects,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.