Prince Andrew told Jeffrey Epstein “we are in this together”, the day after the infamous photograph of him with Virginia Giuffre emerged, according to reports.
The Duke of York also reportedly told his paedophile friend “we’ll play some more soon” in the email dated 28 February 2011 – three months after the date he told the BBC he had severed contact with the disgraced financier.
The message is reported to also cast doubt on another of the claims Andrew, 65, made in his infamous 2019 interview with Newsnight – that his meeting with Ms Giuffre “didn’t happen”.
The duke has always strongly denied all accusations against him.
The Sun on Sunday reported Andrew contacted Epstein just hours after Ms Giuffre detailed allegations that she was flown out to London in March 2001 aged 17, where she said she and the duke ate, drank, went to Tramp nightclub and later had sex.
A photo of the pair of them at the London townhouse of Epstein’s then-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell – who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for recruiting and trafficking underage girls for Epstein – was published on 27 February 2011, showing Andrew with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist.
According to the newspaper, the 28 February email, sent from the duke’s official email address with the automated signature “HRH The Duke of York KG”, read: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it.” Andrew also urged the predator to “keep in close touch” and told him: “We’ll play some more soon!!!!”
Ms Giuffre has also accused Andrew of sexually abusing her on Epstein’s private island Little St James as a teenager, which the prince has “unequivocally” denied. In 2022, he agreed to settle her civil claim for an multi-million dollar sum, without admitting liability.
In his 2019 interview with the BBC, Andrew said he had severed all contact with Epstein after they were photographed meeting in Central Park in New York in early December 2010, when he claimed they decided to cut ties.
Speaking of the photograph of him and Ms Giuffre, he said: “Oh it’s definitely me, I mean that’s a picture of me, it’s not a picture of… I don’t believe it’s a picture of me in London because… when I go out in London, I wear a suit and a tie.
“I am not one to, as it were, hug and public displays of affection are not something that I do. So that’s the best explanation I can give you and I’m afraid to say that I don’t believe that photograph was taken in the way that has been suggested.”
Following the interview, the duke stepped back from his royal duties in 2019 over his links with Epstein.
The disgraced financier died by suicide on 10 August 2019 at a federal jail in New York City.
