A trove of emails from 2011, made public by a congressional committee, reveals a former senior member of the British royal family urgently attempting to distance himself from the criminal activities of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
In the messages, the individual—referred to internally by an aristocratic title—reacts with apparent alarm to news that a British newspaper was preparing to publish allegations from a woman claiming to be a victim. The correspondence indicates he was informed about the impending story, which reportedly involved accusations from a woman who has since publicly accused him of sexual assault, allegations he has consistently denied.
His response in one email was emphatic: “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.”
Epstein, in his replies, dismissed the media reports as fantasy and attempted to downplay the situation with flippant remarks. He also made unrelated denials about other high-profile names and claimed ownership of a disputed item was false.
The release of these communications comes years after the individual’s formal separation from royal duties. In 2022, following the publication of a memoir by his primary accuser, the reigning monarch revoked his brother’s royal titles and military affiliations. An official announcement at the time stated he would henceforth be known by a civilian name.
Furthermore, he was formally evicted from a grace-and-favor residence he had occupied. Official statements indicated that the loss of his royal status nullified the legal protections of his lease, requiring him to move to private housing. These actions were described as necessary steps, taken despite his continued denial of all accusations against him.
The emails provide a direct, contemporaneous look into the private communications surrounding the early stages of the scandal, highlighting the former royal’s direct pleas for a clear, public disassociation from Epstein and Maxwell’s crimes.
