A trove of private correspondence, made public by a congressional committee, reveals the frantic efforts of a former senior member of the British royal family to distance himself from the crimes of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The emails, dating from 2011, show the individual, referred to internally as “the Duke,” reacting with alarm to media inquiries about his alleged connections. In one exchange, after being alerted that a major newspaper was preparing to publish a story featuring allegations from a woman understood to be Virginia Giuffre, the former royal expressed shock and frustration.
“What? I don’t know any of this. How are you responding?” he wrote. “I can’t take any more of this.”
Epstein responded by stating his lawyers were being contacted, dismissing the claims as “salacious and ridiculous.” The former royal’s subsequent instruction 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. I can’t take any more of this my end.”
In another email days later, which Epstein suggested could be shared with the press, the financier attempted to downplay the broader scandal, calling the stories “complete and utter fantasy” and denying the presence of other high-profile figures at his properties.
Despite the former royal’s consistent denials of all allegations, including a civil suit brought by Giuffre, the controversy precipitated a dramatic fall from grace. In 2022, he was formally removed from all public duties within the monarchy. Later that year, following the posthumous publication of a memoir by Giuffre, the sovereign stripped his brother of all royal titles and styles.
A palace statement at the time confirmed the individual would henceforth be known by a private family name. Furthermore, he was formally evicted from his longtime royal residence, with officials stating the move to private accommodation was necessary “notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”
