Prince Andrew

Prince Andrew, then Duke of York, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, became one of the most prominent figures linked to Jeffrey Epstein. His connection to the case — through his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, his visits to Epstein’s properties, and the specific allegations made against him by Virginia Giuffre — led to a civil lawsuit, an out-of-court settlement, the eventual loss of his royal titles, and lasting damage to the British monarchy’s reputation. Andrew has consistently denied the allegations against him.

The Friendship with Epstein and Maxwell

Prince Andrew’s connection to Epstein came through Ghislaine Maxwell, part of his social circle for years before Epstein entered the picture. Through Maxwell, Andrew came to know Epstein, and the three socialized together in London, New York, and at Epstein’s properties during the late 1990s and 2000s.

Andrew has acknowledged staying at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion. In December 2010 — after Epstein’s 2008 conviction and registration as a sex offender — Andrew was photographed strolling with Epstein in Central Park during a visit to New York, an image that drew significant public scrutiny. Andrew later said he stayed at Epstein’s home for several days during that trip.

Virginia Giuffre’s Allegations

Virginia Giuffre (then Virginia Roberts) made allegations against Prince Andrew in court filings. Giuffre alleged that, after being recruited into Epstein’s trafficking network, she was directed to have sexual encounters with Andrew on three occasions in 2001, when she was 17 years old:

1. London, 2001: Giuffre alleged that she, Andrew, and Maxwell socialized at the London nightclub Tramp, after which she was directed to have a sexual encounter with Andrew at a London residence.

2. New York: At Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse. Giuffre alleged a second encounter there.

3. Little St. James, U.S. Virgin Islands: At Epstein’s private island. Giuffre alleged a third encounter on the island.

Giuffre also alleged that Epstein paid her $15,000 after the London encounter. Andrew has denied all of Giuffre’s allegations and, through legal representatives, “unequivocally denies Giuffre’s false allegations.”

The Photograph

A photograph dated to around 2001 shows Andrew with his arm around Giuffre’s waist, with Maxwell standing in the background. Giuffre has said she was 17 at the time.

Andrew’s supporters have repeatedly questioned the image, suggesting it may be fake or altered; Andrew himself said he had no memory of the photograph being taken and could not confirm whether it was genuine. Most experts who have examined the photograph consider it to be genuine.

The image became one of the most widely circulated photographs of the entire Epstein case.

The BBC Newsnight Interview (November 2019)

In November 2019, Prince Andrew gave an interview to BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis about his relationship with Epstein. The interview was widely described as one of the most damaging royal public appearances in modern history.

During the interview, Andrew:

• Denied any sexual contact with Giuffre and said he had no recollection of meeting her.
• Claimed he could not have been at the London nightclub Tramp on the night Giuffre described because he had taken his daughter Princess Beatrice to a party at a Pizza Express in Woking — an explanation that was widely mocked.
• Stated that he could not have been sweating at the nightclub, as Giuffre had described, because of a medical condition, telling Maitlis: “I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when I was shot at, and it’s only because I have done a number of things in the recent past that I am starting to be able to do that again.”

The interview was widely panned. Commentators noted that Andrew showed little empathy for Epstein’s victims and offered explanations that strained credulity. Within days, on November 20, 2019, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew was suspending his public duties “for the foreseeable future,” and he stepped back from his patronages.

The Civil Lawsuit (2021-2022)

On August 9, 2021, Virginia Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York under the New York Child Victims Act, which had temporarily reopened the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims. The suit accused Andrew of battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Andrew’s legal team attempted to have the case dismissed, arguing that a 2009 settlement agreement between Giuffre and Epstein — which released Epstein and “any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant” — also protected Andrew. On January 12, 2022, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan rejected this argument and allowed the case to proceed, noting that the meaning of the word “potential” in the release was unclear.

On February 15, 2022, a settlement was announced. The case was settled out of court, with Andrew making a substantial donation to Giuffre’s charity for victims of abuse and with no admission of liability. The financial terms were never officially disclosed; British and American media outlets, including the Daily Telegraph, estimated the figure at as much as £12 million (around $16 million), but the precise amount was not confirmed.

The settlement avoided what would have been the unprecedented spectacle of a senior British royal being deposed under oath in a U.S. civil case connected to Jeffrey Epstein.

Loss of Military Titles, Patronages, and Royal Styles

On January 13, 2022 — one day after Judge Kaplan’s ruling that the civil case could proceed — Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew’s honorary military affiliations and royal patronages were being removed and that he would no longer be known as “His Royal Highness.” The palace said the Duke of York would “continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.” Among the honorary military positions he held was colonel of the Grenadier Guards, a post previously held by his father.

Andrew retained the Duke of York title and his place in the line of succession at that stage, but he was effectively removed from public-facing royal life. Amid renewed scrutiny in 2025, the situation escalated:

• On October 17, 2025, Andrew announced — in a statement issued through Buckingham Palace and made “in discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family” — that he would stop using his Duke of York title and the honours conferred on him, saying the continued accusations distracted from the work of the monarchy. He added: “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

• On October 30, 2025, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III had initiated a formal process to remove Andrew’s remaining royal styles, titles, and honours — including “Prince,” “His Royal Highness,” “Duke of York,” “Earl of Inverness,” and “Baron Killyleagh,” along with honours such as the Order of the Garter. He is now known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. The palace said the censures were deemed necessary “notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.”

He was also required to give up his long-term lease at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park. Buckingham Palace announced that formal notice had been served to surrender the lease, and Andrew left Royal Lodge in early February 2026, relocating to the King’s Sandringham estate.

Emails Released in 2025-2026

Documents released in late 2025 and early 2026 — including a tranche released by the U.S. Justice Department in January 2026 — contained emails referencing Andrew that pointed to contact that was, in places, more extensive and familiar than he had publicly acknowledged. Among the material, emails appeared to show that around 2010–11 Andrew forwarded confidential reports from his official work as a UK trade envoy to Epstein, and that Epstein offered to introduce Andrew to others.

These revelations renewed calls in the British press and Parliament for Andrew to give a full account of his relationship with Epstein.

Arrest

On February 19, 2026 — Andrew’s birthday — Thames Valley Police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest followed reports that, while serving as a UK trade envoy around 2010, he had shared confidential government information with Jeffrey Epstein, including reports on official trips to destinations in Asia. He was questioned and, after several hours, released “under investigation,” meaning he was neither charged nor exonerated. Commentators noted it was the first arrest of a senior British royal in centuries. The arrest was not tied to the sexual-abuse allegations themselves, and Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The May 2026 Trade-Envoy Files

On May 21, 2026, the UK government published a tranche of previously confidential files documenting Andrew’s appointment and conduct as the country’s “special representative for international trade and investment,” a role he held from 2001 to 2011. The documents were released in response to a “humble address” — a parliamentary mechanism a lawmaker had invoked in February, after Andrew’s arrest, to compel the government to lay the records before Parliament.

The files put detail behind the misconduct allegation. Emails signed “A” and bearing the signature “HRH The Duke of York KG” forwarded official material to Epstein, including “visit reports” from Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen, China, produced during a 2010 Southeast Asia tour, and a document described as a “confidential brief produced by the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Helmand Province for International Investment Opportunities.”

The documents also showed how Andrew obtained the role. The head of Britain’s trade body wrote that “the Queen is very keen that the Duke of York should take on a prominent role in the promotion of national interests” — a reference to the late Queen Elizabeth II, Andrew’s mother. Presenting the files, Trade Minister Chris Bryant told lawmakers his department had “found no evidence that a formal due diligence or vetting process was undertaken” before Andrew’s appointment, and that the government was cooperating with the Thames Valley Police investigation.

What Is and Is Not Established

Andrew was arrested on February 19, 2026, on suspicion of misconduct in public office; he has not been charged or convicted of any crime. The civil case brought by Virginia Giuffre was settled out of court with no admission of liability and was never tested at trial or through cross-examination. Giuffre’s allegations against Andrew remain allegations.

What is documented is that Andrew maintained a multi-year friendship with a convicted sex offender — a friendship he sustained after that conviction — visited Epstein’s properties, was photographed with an alleged trafficking victim, gave a 2019 interview widely judged to have backfired, settled a civil case for an undisclosed sum, gave up and was then stripped of his royal titles in late 2025, and was arrested in February 2026 in connection with the Epstein files. Throughout, Andrew has consistently denied the allegations against him.

Documents

Primary-source records that name or reference Prince Andrew. Being named in or appearing in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; Andrew has consistently denied the allegations against him.

• Giuffre v. Maxwell — unsealed court records (Jan. 2024) — Andrew is named throughout the documents unsealed in this civil case (U.S. District Court, S.D.N.Y., No. 1:15-cv-07433). Virginia Giuffre’s underlying complaint, filed as “Jane Doe #3,” alleged that Maxwell “facilitated Prince Andrew’s acts of sexual abuse,” and Johanna Sjoberg’s deposition places Andrew at Epstein’s New York mansion and describes an episode involving a puppet caricature of him.
• Giuffre v. Prince Andrew — civil complaint (2021) — Giuffre’s August 2021 lawsuit accusing Andrew of battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress (S.D.N.Y., No. 1:21-cv-06702, before Judge Lewis A. Kaplan), alleging abuse when she was 17. It was settled in February 2022 with no admission of liability.
• Epstein flight logs — Pilot manifests for Epstein’s aircraft, released by the Department of Justice in February 2025 (entered as evidence in U.S. v. Maxwell), record Andrew as a passenger.
• House Oversight Committee — Epstein estate documents (2025) and the DOJ Epstein files — Releases in 2025–2026 included a flight manifest showing Andrew on a May 2000 leg and emails referencing him, among them material indicating that around 2010–11, while a UK trade envoy, he forwarded confidential reports to Epstein.