The Royal Family has been left “exasperated” by the latest revelations to emerge regarding Prince Andrew.
Reports on Saturday evening claimed Prince Andrew told Jeffrey Epstein they were “in this together” the day after a picture of him with Virginia Giuffre was published.
The Duke of York had previously said he severed all communication with the convicted financier in December 2010.
However, newly leaked correspondence appeared to show the Duke writing to Epstein on February 28, 2011.
The Royal Family has been left “exasperated” by the latest revelations to emerge regarding Prince Andrew.
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In the message, Prince Andrew stated they were “in this together” and would need to “rise above it”, suggesting ongoing contact between the pair.
The email cast fresh doubt over the Duke’s previous public statements regarding the timeline of his association with Epstein.
The exchange occurred the day following publication of a photograph showing the Duke with his arm around Ms Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London residence.
Royal Family insiders have stated that there is frustration at the lack of further sanctions they can apply to the Duke of York.
The exchange occurred the day following publication of a photograph showing the Duke with his arm around Ms Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London residence.
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US Department of Justice
An aide told The Sun: “There is exasperation and frustration at new revelations and that there is nothing much more that can be done.
“Everything that can be done has been.”
They added that the monarchy lacks new “levers” to apply pressure to the Duke of York.
According to reports in The Sun and The Mail on Sunday, Prince Andrew wrote to Epstein: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me!”
The Duke continued: “It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
The Duke of York stepped down as a working member of the Royal Family in 2019.
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He concluded the message with his signature: “A, HRH The Duke of York, KG,” referencing his Knight of the Garter title, which he has retained since 2006.
GB News has contacted the office of the Duke of York for comment.
The photograph in question is of Prince Andrew alongside Virginia Giuffre when she was 17 years old, taken at the Belgravia home of socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.
During his 2019 Newsnight interview with the BBC, the Duke rejected Ms Giuffre’s account, stating the London meeting “never happened”.
He suggested the image might have been falsified, telling the broadcaster: “Nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored but I don’t recollect that photograph ever being taken.”
Ms Giuffre had alleged she endured four years of sexual exploitation by Epstein.
She recounted meeting the Duke during a European journey lasting six weeks, describing an afternoon tea at Maxwell’s property followed by a visit to Tramp nightclub in Mayfair.
In February 2022, Prince Andrew reached a financial agreement to resolve the civil proceedings Ms Giuffre had initiated in the United States.
Court documents indicate the settlement exceeded £12 million, though the Duke did not accept liability.