The scandal surrounding Prince Andrew has intensified following reports of an email exchange with Jeffrey Epstein that appears to undermine the Duke’s longstanding claim that he ended all contact with the convicted sex offender in 2010.
The new revelations come just days after Buckingham Palace stripped Andrew of his royal titles and privileges and instructed him to leave his 30-room residence at Windsor Castle, amid mounting public outrage and relentless media pressure.
The Email That Undermines His Defense
According to reports by The Mail on Sunday and The Sun on Sunday, the 2011 email suggests Andrew told Epstein to “stay in close touch” and that they were “in this together.” The message, if authentic, directly contradicts the prince’s 2019 BBC interview, in which he insisted he had ended all communication with Epstein after their last meeting in 2010.
Andrew has so far declined to comment on the reports.
At the same time, London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed it is reviewing claims that, in 2011, Andrew asked one of his protection officers to “dig a hole” for Virginia Giuffre, the woman who accused him of sexual abuse.
Virginia Giuffre’s Memoir and Tragic Death
The controversy was reignited with the posthumous release of Giuffre’s memoir “Nobody’s Girl”, published earlier this month. Giuffre, who died by suicide in April at age 41, had accused Andrew of sexually abusing her as a teenager.
In her book, she described three encounters with the prince — in London, New York, and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little St. James — claiming Andrew knew she was underage. She wrote that Epstein once gave her $15,000 “for pleasing the man the tabloids called ‘Randy Andy.’”
Legal Fallout and Royal Consequences
Andrew settled Giuffre’s lawsuit in 2022 without admitting wrongdoing, though he acknowledged that she had been a victim of sexual trafficking. The scandal forced him to withdraw from public duties in 2019, and Queen Elizabeth II later revoked his military titles and royal patronages.
Despite those measures, public anger persisted. A recent YouGov poll showed four out of five Britons support removing his royal title entirely.
Amid this pressure, Andrew announced on 17 October that he would renounce the title of Duke of York and other honors, saying the decision was made “in consultation with King Charles and the family” to protect the monarchy from ongoing controversy.
Ties to China Raise Further Questions
Adding to the turmoil, documents revealed a business connection between Andrew and Chinese businessman Yang Tengbo, who was later barred from entering the UK amid espionage concerns. Yang reportedly acted on Andrew’s behalf in meetings with potential Chinese investors and was invited to his 60th birthday celebration in 2020.
Government inquiries later prompted Andrew to sever all ties with Yang. Further reports showed that Andrew had sent birthday greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping every year.
The Palace’s Dilemma
Buckingham Palace has not commented publicly on the latest revelations or on whether it had prior knowledge of Andrew’s continuing contact with Epstein. The royal household now faces growing criticism for not acting sooner to distance itself from the disgraced prince.
Although Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne, that position could only be removed through a complex legal process involving approval from Commonwealth nations — a scenario that has not occurred since the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936.
For now, the email revelation threatens to drag the royal family back into a controversy it had hoped was finally behind it.
