Newly released U.S. Justice Department records suggest that Prince Andrew, while serving as the United Kingdom's special representative for international trade and investment, forwarded confidential government trade briefings to Jeffrey Epstein, intensifying scrutiny of the embattled royal and prompting a police review in Britain.
The documents, part of a broader tranche of nearly three million Epstein-related records unsealed in the United States, indicate that Andrew forwarded a sensitive trade report to Epstein in November 2010 shortly after receiving it from an aide. Thames Valley Police confirmed on Feb. 9 that it is "assessing the information in line with our established procedure."
The potential offenses under review include misconduct in public office and breaches of the Official Secrets Act, both of which carry serious legal implications in the U.K. The emails at issue reportedly show Andrew relaying reports detailing trade visits to Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shenzhen following an official tour of Southeast Asia.
According to the documents, the material was forwarded to Epstein five minutes after Andrew received it from aide Amit Patel. A month later, on Christmas Eve 2010, Andrew allegedly shared another briefing concerning investment prospects in Afghanistan's Helmand province, then a central theater of British military operations.
The timeline appears to conflict with Andrew's statement in his 2019 BBC interview that he traveled to Epstein's Manhattan residence in December 2010 to "end any future relationship." The newly surfaced correspondence suggests continued contact beyond that meeting.
Buckingham Palace responded with a carefully worded statement issued on behalf of King Charles III: "The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mountbatten-Windsor's conduct." Notably, the statement referred to Andrew as "Mountbatten-Windsor," reflecting his removal from official royal titles in October 2025.
The controversy comes amid broader investigations in Washington. The House Oversight Committee continues to examine Epstein's network, and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said that Epstein's "victims have to be the first priority." Lawmakers have also sought testimony from Epstein associates, including Ghislaine Maxwell.
Andrew has repeatedly denied allegations of sexual misconduct, including claims by Virginia Giuffre, who wrote in her memoir Nobody's Girl that he treated sex with her, when she was 17, as "his birthright." Andrew has denied ever having sex with her and previously reached a civil settlement without admitting liability.
Photographs included among the newly released materials show Andrew in compromising settings, though the circumstances and context of the images remain unclear. The Justice Department's broader document release has revived political and public debate about accountability for those connected to Epstein.
