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Prince Andrew has been named more frequently than any other British figure in newly released documents relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to US court files unsealed in New York. The documents, which run to hundreds of pages, were made public as part of a long-running civil case involving Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine…
Prince Andrew has been named more frequently than any other British figure in newly released documents relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to US court files unsealed in New York. The documents, which run to hundreds of pages, were made public as part of a long-running civil case involving Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell and include references to numerous high-profile individuals around the world. Among them, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, appears repeatedly in testimony, flight logs and witness statements that have been collected over several years of litigation.
The unsealed material consists largely of depositions, interview transcripts and other evidential records compiled in connection with Virginia Giuffre’s civil lawsuit against Maxwell. Giuffre, who has alleged that Epstein trafficked her for sex while she was a teenager, has long claimed that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on multiple occasions, an allegation he has consistently and emphatically denied. The newly released files do not amount to criminal charges against the prince or any other named individuals, but they do show how often his name surfaced in evidence gathered by lawyers and investigators working on the Giuffre case.
In documents reported by JOE and other outlets, Prince Andrew is cited across different sections of the cache, including in flight logs for Epstein’s private jet and in testimony from alleged victims and associates. One document summarising witness accounts lists him among the most frequently mentioned British figures in connection with Epstein, alongside references to social events, travel and meetings said to have taken place in London, New York and the Caribbean. While the filings vary in detail and source, his name recurs more than that of any other person from the United Kingdom, leading to headlines stating that he is the Brit “named most” in the Epstein files.
The material released this week stems from a US judge’s decision that large parts of the record in Giuffre’s lawsuit, which was settled in 2017, should be unsealed in the public interest. Many names remain redacted, but dozens of individuals are now identifiable in the papers. For Prince Andrew, whose association with Epstein has already led to the loss of his royal public duties, the documents provide a fuller picture of how extensively he featured in the testimonies gathered around the financier’s activities. However, the documents do not introduce fundamentally new allegations beyond those that have been public for several years.
The Duke of York first came under intense scrutiny over his relationship with Epstein in 2019, after the financier was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges and later died in jail. A photograph taken in the early 2000s, showing Andrew with his arm around the waist of a young Virginia Giuffre at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, has since become one of the most widely circulated images associated with the scandal. Giuffre has alleged that the photograph was taken on a night when she was forced to have sex with the prince, a claim he has denied, saying he has no recollection of ever meeting her and disputing the authenticity of some of the details in the image.
In a BBC Newsnight interview broadcast in 2019, Prince Andrew attempted to explain his past contact with Epstein and refute Giuffre’s allegations. He said he had met Epstein in 1999 through Maxwell and had stayed at several of Epstein’s properties, but insisted that he had never witnessed or been aware of any criminal behaviour. He described his decision to stay with Epstein in New York in 2010, after the financier had already been convicted of procuring a minor for prostitution, as “the wrong decision” and said he regretted the association. The interview was widely regarded as disastrous for the prince and swiftly led to him stepping back from public royal duties with the approval of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Giuffre later filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in a New York court, accusing him of sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress when she was 17. The case was settled in February 2022, with the duke making a substantial financial payment to Giuffre and to a charity supporting victims’ rights. In a statement issued through his lawyers at the time, he did not admit liability but acknowledged that Giuffre had suffered as an established victim of abuse and said he regretted his association with Epstein. The settlement brought the legal proceedings to an end, but public and media scrutiny of his connections to Epstein has continued.
The newly unsealed documents revisit many of the same events and relationships that were at the heart of those proceedings. In depositions cited in the cache, witnesses describe seeing Prince Andrew at Epstein’s residences and on his private jet, sometimes in the company of young women. Some of the accounts reference social occasions in New York and London, including dinners and parties attended by Epstein’s circle of friends, business contacts and public figures. Other passages refer to the prince by name when discussing Epstein’s network and the individuals who came into contact with him over the years.
At the same time, the documents show that many allegations around Epstein rely on recollections made years after the events described, and several passages record lawyers pressing witnesses on inconsistencies or gaps in their memory. In some instances, witnesses say they did not personally see Andrew engage in criminal conduct but place him at locations associated with Epstein’s offending. In others, the prince is mentioned more tangentially in lists of Epstein’s acquaintances and visitors. The prominence of his name in the documents is therefore a reflection of how often he appears across multiple strands of testimony rather than of any judicial finding against him.
The release of the files has renewed public interest in how the British monarchy has handled the fallout from the Epstein scandal. After the Newsnight interview, Buckingham Palace announced that the duke would step back from public duties “for the foreseeable future.” In 2022 he was stripped of his honorary military titles and no longer uses the style “His Royal Highness” in an official capacity. Palace statements have consistently declined to comment in detail on ongoing legal matters or newly surfaced documents, stressing instead that Andrew continues to maintain his denial of the allegations.
Prince Andrew’s association with Epstein dates back to the late 1990s, when Maxwell, the daughter of the late British media proprietor Robert Maxwell, is said to have introduced them. Epstein, a financier with homes in New York, Florida, New Mexico, Paris and the US Virgin Islands, cultivated connections with wealthy, powerful and influential people, including politicians, business leaders and members of royalty. Flight logs released in previous court cases show the duke appearing on a number of journeys on Epstein’s private aircraft, including flights to the US and the Caribbean. Andrew has said his contact with Epstein was part of a broader effort to maintain friendships and connections that could benefit the United Kingdom’s trade and business interests.
The latest disclosure of documents forms part of a wider pattern of material about Epstein and Maxwell becoming public as courts and authorities conclude that there is a strong public interest in transparency about how the two operated. Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of sex trafficking and related charges and is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a US federal prison. During her trial, prosecutors described her as having played a central role in grooming and recruiting girls for Epstein over many years. While Prince Andrew was not a defendant in that case, his name was mentioned in passing during proceedings, reinforcing the sense that his ties to Epstein would remain a matter of public discussion even in the absence of criminal charges.
Some sections of the newly released papers detail the efforts of lawyers representing alleged victims to compel testimony from high-profile figures, including Prince Andrew. In one filing, they discuss attempts to question him under oath about his relationship with Epstein and Maxwell, his visits to specific properties and his recollection of key dates. Those efforts ultimately did not lead to a public deposition in the Giuffre case, but they underline how central his name had become to attempts to map Epstein’s social network and understand who might have had knowledge of his conduct.
Beyond the legal sphere, the duke’s reputation has been significantly affected by the continuing association. Public opinion polls in the UK have repeatedly shown him to be among the least popular members of the royal family since the allegations came to prominence. Charities and organisations that once counted him as a patron have distanced themselves or ended their links altogether, and he has rarely been seen at major public engagements. Although he has appeared at some family events, including the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III, his role has been notably limited compared with that of other senior royals.
The unsealing of the Epstein files has again raised questions about whether Prince Andrew could face further scrutiny from law-enforcement agencies. The UK’s Metropolitan Police previously reviewed Giuffre’s allegations but announced in 2021 that they would take no further action. In the United States, prosecutors have indicated that their focus remains on any remaining individuals who may have assisted Epstein in his crimes, but they have not signalled any active investigation into the duke. Legal experts quoted in coverage of the newly released files have suggested that, in the absence of new evidence, the documents are more likely to shape public perception than to alter his legal position.
Nevertheless, the volume of references to Prince Andrew in the unsealed material is likely to prolong public debate about how Epstein was able to cultivate such an extensive network of influential acquaintances and what, if anything, those around him knew about his offending. For the duke, being identified as the British figure named most frequently in the files underscores how inseparable his public image has become from the scandal. While he has consistently denied wrongdoing and no court has found him liable beyond the civil settlement, the latest disclosures ensure that his name remains firmly embedded in the documentary record of one of the most notorious abuse cases of recent decades.
Other names included in the files include soccer star David Beckham, model Naomi Campbell, singer Adele and rock legend Mick Jagger. Though being mentioned in the files doesn’t indicate any wrongdoing.