The Epstein files: Key moments from emails, interviews and legal documents
The Duke of York featured heavily in the 215 documents but denies any wrongdoing.
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Your support makes all the difference.Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged associates have once again been placed under the spotlight after a US court released the contents of a large number of emails, interview transcripts and legal documents.
High-profile figures previously linked to the paedophile financier have seen old sexual misconduct allegations resurface – including British royalty, former US presidents and celebrities.
Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the key extracts from the 215 documents released as part of a previously settled civil claim between Duke of York accuser Virginia Giuffre and disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.
– Andrew and Branson’s alleged sex tapes
Epstein victim Sarah Ransome wrote communications claiming the duke, Bill Clinton and billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson had sex tapes filmed by the financier.
Virgin, on behalf of Sir Richard, described the claims as “baseless and unfounded”, and the extracts were featured in a letter by Epstein’s lawyer Alan Dershowitz in which he said it demonstrated Ms Ransome “manifestly lacks credibility”.
– Stephen Hawking’s alleged underage orgy
An email sent from Epstein to Maxwell appeared to show the financier ask her to “issue a reward” to any of Ms Giuffre’s friends who “come forward and help prove her allegations are false”.
Among the allegations listed by Epstein in the email were a “Clinton dinner” and a claim from the “Virgin Islands that Stephen Hawking participated in an underage orgy”.
– Duke of York’s alleged underage orgy
A woman named only as Jane Doe 3 alleged she was “forced” into sexual relations with “a member of the British Royal Family, Prince Andrew (a/k/a Duke of York)” at three locations including on Epstein’s private island “in an orgy with numerous other underaged girls”.
The duke has always strenuously denied the now resurfaced allegations.
– Andrew and a puppet
During testimony in May 2016, a woman named Johanna Sjoberg claimed Prince Andrew touched her breast while posing with a puppet of himself and sitting on a couch inside Epstein’s Manhattan apartment in 2001.
Buckingham Palace previously said the allegations are “categorically untrue”.
– Bill Clinton ‘likes them young’
In Ms Sjoberg’s interview under oath, she said Epstein had told her that former president Bill Clinton “likes them young, referring to girls”.
In 2019, Mr Clinton’s spokesman said he knew “nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to” and that the pair had not spoken “in over a decade”.
– Ms Giuffre ‘trafficked’ to Andrew and ‘two of world’s most respected politicians’
In an email exchange with journalist Sharon Churcher in May 2011, Ms Giuffre spoke of her concerns about working with Vanity Fair after Mr Clinton had allegedly “threatened them not to write sex-trafficking articles” about Epstein.
In a follow up email, Ms Churcher said it would be a “gamble” for Ms Giuffre to give the magazine a statement about how she had no more to say about how she was “sex-trafficked to PA [Prince Andrew] and other men including two of the world’s most respected politicians”.
The names of the two politicians in the email remain redacted.
– Donald Trump’s sex with ‘many girls’
Ms Ransome also claimed “many girls” had sexual relations with former US president Donald Trump, adding that he “liked flicking and sucking” her friend’s nipples “until they were raw”.
The claims were also flagged by Mr Dershowitz in his letter which attempted to prove the Epstein victim lacked credibility.
– Maxwell’s computer search terms
Provisional search terms used by lawyers to find relevant files on Maxwell’s computers were also disclosed in the documents.
Amongst the terms on a list were “Andrew”, “Prince”, “Royal”, “PA”, “Kensington”, “Duke” and “York”.
– Duke and Duchess of York ‘friends’ with Epstein
Epstein’s former housekeeper Juan Alessi said Andrew had “daily massages” at the paedophile financier’s Florida home.
During his video-taped interview under oath in 2009, Mr Alessi said Sarah, Duchess of York, only paid a short visit to Epstein, but the duke “spent weeks with us”.
– Maxwell’s fears over links to Andrew
Maxwell could be seen sending an email in January 2015, shortly after a civil claim had been filed against her, in which she described herself as “out of my depth”.
The socialite said: “I have already suffered such a terrible and painful loss over the last few days that I can’t even see what life after press hell even looks like – statements that don’t address all just lead to more questions… what is my relationship to Clinton? Andrew on and on.”
– Epstein quizzed over alleged Andrew blackmail plot
Epstein refused to answer questions over whether he attempted to blackmail the duke after his alleged sexual encounter with Ms Giuffre in London in 2001.
The disgraced financier was also quizzed over whether he and Maxwell instructed Ms Giuffre to have sex with Andrew and if the information gathered as part of her civil claim against the socialite “has the potential to affect the reputation” of the duke.
Andrew strenuously denies any wrongdoing.