Prince Andrew Reportedly Emailed Jeffrey Epstein a Day After Infamous Picture Emerged: 'We Are in This Together’
A newly uncovered email has reignited scrutiny over Prince Andrew’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The message, reportedly sent the day after the now-infamous 2011 photograph of Andrew with Virginia Giuffre was published, appears to show the prince expressing solidarity with Epstein, writing, “We are in this together.”
According to reports from The Mail on Sunday and The Sun on Sunday, the February 28, 2011 email cited Andrew’s “concern” and 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.” He signed off with, “A, HRH The Duke of York, KG,” referencing his knighthood in the Order of the Garter. The message concluded on a casual note: “Otherwise, keep in close touch, and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
The alleged correspondence was revealed on Oct. 12 by both British tabloids, further entangling the Duke of York in a scandal that has followed him for years. If authentic, the email undermines Andrew’s 2019 BBC Newsnight interview claim that he had severed ties with Epstein months earlier. During that interview, the royal insisted he visited Epstein in New York in December 2010 solely to end their friendship — yet the newly published message dates two months later.
Epstein, convicted in 2008 for soliciting a minor for prostitution, was already a notorious figure by that time. His name — and Andrew’s connection to him — resurfaced when the photo of the prince with his arm around then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre emerged in 2011. The image, reportedly taken at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home, has since become one of the most recognizable symbols of the scandal.
Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew on multiple occasions, maintained her allegations until her death by suicide earlier this year. Andrew has consistently denied the claims, and in 2022 he settled a civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre for a reported $13 million — without admitting wrongdoing.
In his Newsnight interview, Andrew famously questioned the authenticity of the photo, suggesting his hand may have been digitally altered and that he had “no memory” of it being taken. “I don’t remember that photograph ever being taken,” he told journalist Emily Maitlis. “That is what I would describe as me in that picture, but we can’t be certain as to whether or not that’s my hand on her... left side.”
The latest revelations come just weeks after another damaging email involving Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, surfaced. Dated 2011, Ferguson’s message praised Epstein as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend” — despite her prior public statements condemning him and vowing never to speak to him again. Her spokesperson later told PEOPLE that the duchess had been “taken in by his lies” and that the email was sent amid Epstein’s threats of legal action.
Epstein died in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Maxwell, his longtime associate, is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in facilitating his abuse.
The resurfacing of Andrew’s alleged email adds yet another layer to a saga that has repeatedly tarnished the image of Britain’s royal family. Despite stepping back from public duties and maintaining his innocence, the Duke of York continues to face intense scrutiny over his ties to one of the most infamous criminal cases in modern history.