Fresh revelations suggest Prince Andrew remained in contact with Jeffrey Epstein longer than he previously acknowledged, a development experts claim is putting mounting pressure on King Charles III to shield the monarchy from further scandal. Published court documents indicate an email widely believed to be from the disgraced Duke of York was sent to Epstein in February 2011-two months after Andrew said he had cut off all ties with the late financier.
The new evidence is part of a case involving the U.K.'s Financial Conduct Authority and former Barclays chief Jes Staley. According to the BBC, officials read the alleged correspondence aloud in a London courtroom, revealing that Andrew wrote, "Keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon!!!!" The duke, now 64, had previously described meeting Epstein in December 2010 as a "wrong decision" and claimed it marked the end of their association.
Several royal commentators told Fox News Digital that the House of Windsor is once again on edge. British royals expert Hilary Fordwich stated, "King Charles III is expected to do all he can to disassociate himself publicly and to make certain Andrew doesn't appear with any senior members of the royal family." Concerns have reportedly escalated now that Andrew, stripped of most royal duties, harbors hopes of returning to public life.
Helena Chard, a British broadcaster, said the duke remains "pining for his previous life," adding, "The royal family and the few friends he has left are sadly burdened with the negative fallout." Chard warned that Buckingham Palace is bracing for more damaging headlines. "King Charles and the rest of the royal family will certainly sigh as loose cannon Prince Andrew is brought into further disrepute," she said.
Richard Fitzwilliams, a royal commentator, maintained that Andrew's continued links to Epstein present a "major embarrassment" to the monarchy. "Andrew's grotesquely entitled behavior is a major embarrassment for the royal family," Fitzwilliams explained. "He has not been convicted of anything and denies all the charges against him, but he is guilty in the court of public opinion."
In 2019, Andrew gave a widely scrutinized interview to the BBC's Newsnight program, insisting his interactions with Epstein after the financier's 2008 conviction were limited and that he had walked away from the friendship altogether by the close of 2010. That televised conversation was later deemed a "catastrophic" public relations failure. Royal watchers say the new email revelations call into question the duke's credibility and heighten the possibility of additional revelations to come.
Ian Pelham Turner, another royal expert, told Fox News Digital that Andrew stands "no chance" of regaining any official role. "Andrew has become so toxic that any future attempt to reinvent himself as a working royal will fail," Pelham Turner asserted. He believes the monarchy views the duke's possible return as inconceivable, given the risks involved.
Already stripped of his honorary military titles and barred from using the title "His Royal Highness," Andrew remains under intense scrutiny. Once a full-time working royal, he retreated from the public eye in 2019 amid his ties to Epstein. Epstein died by suicide that year while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Andrew has not been charged with any crime. However, he settled a 2020 lawsuit brought by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who said she was forced to have sex with the prince at age 17. Andrew vehemently denied any misconduct. As part of the settlement, he made a substantial donation to Giuffre's charity and pledged he never intended to impugn her reputation.
According to reports in British media, King Charles has also sought to reduce Andrew's financial support and suggested the duke move from his 30-room Royal Lodge to smaller accommodations on the Windsor Castle estate. While Andrew remains ensconced in the larger property, critics say he clings to privileges that no longer align with his drastically reduced royal status.
Chard predicted that Andrew's difficulties are far from over. "I wish I could say that this is the last shameful Prince Andrew controversy we will be discussing," she said. "But sadly, I feel there will be further uncomfortable headlines."