Prince Andrew told Jeffrey Epstein ‘we are in this together’
An email sent a day after his photo with Virginia Giuffre was published in 2011 appears to contradict the Duke of York’s claim that he cut ties with the convicted pedophile in 2010.
Prince Andrew told Jeffrey Epstein “we are in this together” the day after a picture of the British royal with his arm around a teenage Virginia Giuffre was published in 2011, a leaked email has revealed.
The email will pile further pressure on the Duke of York as it contradicts a previous claim that he ended contact with the convicted child sex offender by that point.
Andrew emailed Epstein on 28 February 2011, the day after a British newspaper published a photo of the Prince with his arm around 17-year-old Giuffre, who claimed to have been trafficked by Epstein. In the email, Andrew wrote that he was “concerned” about his friend and would “rise above” media revelations. He ended the email by saying they would “play some more soon”.
The email was sent 12 weeks after Andrew said he ceased contact with Epstein. During his infamous 2019 BBC interview, the Duke said he cut off contact with Epstein in December 2010 after they were pictured in New York’s Central Park.
In 2021, Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Andrew claiming he sexually abused her three times when she was 17. Her allegations - which Andrew vigorously denies - were reported around the world. The Duke later reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre, estimated to have been worth up to $28 million, in which he did not admit liability for any wrongdoing. She took her own life in April, aged 41.
The February 2011 email that showed Epstein and Andrew were still in contact was disclosed to a court in London in January. In the email, reported by The Sun and the Mail on Sunday, the Duke wrote: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise, keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
He signed off the message with: “A, HRH The Duke of York, KG.” KG refers to his title of Knight of the Garter, which he has held since 2006.
The reports said that Epstein’s email address was confirmed through official records, and Andrew’s email address was also verified.
In his disastrous interview with BBC’s Newsnight program in November 2019, Andrew said: “I ceased contact with him (Epstein) after I was aware that he was under investigation and that was later in 2006 and I wasn’t in touch with him again until 2010.” He said that in December 2010, “I had to show leadership and I had to go and see him and I had to tell him ‘that’s it’.”
It will increase pressure on the royal family to further distance itself from the Duke. Andrew and his former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, both 65, are now persona non grata in the royal family and may face further pressure from King Charles to leave their home, Royal Lodge. The King has signalled that the pair will not be welcome at the royal family’s Christmas celebrations.
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