Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor seemed to have hit rock bottom last year when he lost his title and his royal home. But it looks like 2026 could be even worse for him and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson after the release of more damning details from the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Among the items made public by the US Department of Justice were several disturbing photographs, which appear to show the former prince crouching over a woman lying on the floor. In two of the images, he is seen touching the woman, who is fully clothed, on the stomach. It’s not known when and where they were taken.
The pictures and other evidence – including the revelation that he invited sex offender Epstein for dinner at Buckingham Palace shortly after he was released from prison, and had discussions with the US financier about meeting a “beautiful Russian woman” – are extremely damning, says royal commentator Jennie Bond.
“They paint another seedy picture of a man seduced by the money and lifestyle.”
Emails that sealed Andrews’ fate
Jennie says palace staff fearing the Epstein scandal is not over have been proved accurate, and the King’s “brutal decision” to remove Andrew’s titles and banish him from Windsor has been vindicated.
“The latest emails have provided further evidence that Andrew – and his ex-wife Sarah, 66 – openly lied about ending their friendship with Epstein after his conviction. To the contrary, it seems neither of them could keep away from the man or his money.”
Andrew, 65, has repeatedly insisted he has done nothing wrong, but is refusing to testify before the US Congress about his dealings with Epstein, who died in 2019. Jennie says if he’s innocent, “he has to answer why he has refused to cooperate with the US authorities investigating Epstein’s web of abuse”.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has now called for the disgraced royal to give evidence.
“In terms of testifying, I have always said anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information. You can’t be victim-centred if you’re not prepared to do that. Epstein’s victims have to be the first priority.”
Email proof
The author who wrote last year’s bombshell biography about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson says there’s “worse to come” following the dump of documents from the US Department of Justice.
Andrew Lownie, who wrote Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, says the emails, photos and other information related to Jeffrey Epstein is only a “very small percentage of the material the DOJ collected. There’s also more material with the Epstein estate, which they could release if they wanted to”.
The Maxwell connection
The files also include a number of gushing historic emails, apparently between Andrew and Epstein’s accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, 64, currently in prison after being convicted of sex trafficking. The author says the correspondence – including emails in which they told one another they loved each other – is proof they were romantically involved.
“They were lovers – they had been lovers. They have known each other for years. Ghislaine was Epstein’s right-hand woman. She was also very, very close to Andrew.”
He says Andrew would have “known a lot” about Epstein’s sex-trafficking business and it’s telling that he has never cooperated with law enforcement.
“He is deeply, deeply implicated,” says Andrew.
‘Just marry me’
Sarah Ferguson’s reputation has been left even more tattered thanks to the latest release of Epstein files. They include an email from the late Queen’s former daughter-in-law in which she describes convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as “the brother I have always wished for”.
In another written to him after he served time in jail for soliciting prostitution from a minor, she says, “I really don’t have the words to describe my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness. I am at your service. Just marry me.”
In 2009, after the crash of a business venture, Sarah wrote to Epstein, “I urgently need £20,000 for rent today. The landlord has threatened to go to the newspapers if I don’t pay. Any brainwaves?”
Charity closure and housing woes
Just days after the emails were released, Fergie’s charity, Sarah’s Trust, announced it was closing “for the foreseeable future”. A spokesperson says shutting it down had been discussed for several months.
Fergie has been evicted from Royal Lodge along with Andrew, but won’t be relocating with him to a property on the Sandringham estate because she wants to stay in Windsor. She reportedly doesn’t have a home and living with either of her daughters, Princesses Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, is not an option.
