THE EMAILS THAT SHOW HOW PALACE AIDES BROUGHT ANDREW AND FERGIE INTO EPSTEIN’S WORLD

Emails unearthed from the Epstein files reveal how Buckingham Palace aides facilitated Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson’s relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Amanda Thirsk, Mountbatten-Windsor’s former private secretary, appears in the latest tranche of Epstein files, released by the US Department of Justice last week, in correspondence between the disgraced Royal, his former wife and the paedophile Epstein, years after his conviction for soliciting sex from a child.

Other aides also appear in emails released by the DOJ, with one key figure from the then-Duchess of York’s team seeking to stay at Epstein’s New York mansion, where the former prince was photographed leaning on all-fours over a young woman.

The Royal staffer was turned away because of a “full house”, according to an email response from Epstein’s assistant in May 2010.

Thirsk left the Royal Household in January 2020 after 15 years after encouraging Mountbatten-Windsor to take part in the 2019 BBC Newsnight interview that fast-tracked his downfall.

She continued on as chief executive of Pitch@Palace, the former prince’s entrepreneurial platform, until April 2020. There is no suggestion of any impropriety or illegal activity by Thirsk, and being named in the files does not suggest wrongdoing. 

However the emails provide clear evidence that Palace officials were used by Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson as part of their ongoing relationship with Epstein.

One email sent by Thirsk to Epstein in February 2010, less than a year after his July 2009 release from prison for the child sex offence, invited the disgraced financier to Mountbatten-Windsor’s 50th birthday party at St James’ Palace.

The invite was sent on behalf of Sarah Ferguson and her daughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, promising “mysterious mischief”. The message was sent with an official “Royal Household” legal disclaimer and headed with the message “RH – IN CONFIDENCE”.

It also stated to be a “MESSAGE FROM THE DUCHESS OF YORK”.

“Beatrice, Eugenie and I would love to invite you to celebrate the 50 years of Papa/Andrew,” the message on behalf of Ferguson reads.

It is signed off as being sent from “Amanda Thirsk, Deputy Private Secretary to HRH The Duke of York”.

A second follow-up email was sent from the Duke of York’s office after Epstein failed to respond. He eventually replied, more than a week after the initial invitation, writing simply: “not able”.

Thirsk’s role will have included arranging accommodation for her boss. Emails reveal in November 2010 she coordinated Mountbatten-Windsor’s stay at Epstein’s New York mansion for the following December, including accommodation for his security team.

The men were photographed together in New York during this December 2010 trip.

In his Newsnight interview, Mountbatten-Windsor had stated that this specific trip was made to cut ties in person with the sex offender, and claimed that he had not seen or spoken to Epstein after the visit, which he described as a “wrong decision”.

However, emails included in the Epstein files have since revealed the pair continued their relationship beyond this point.

Seeking financial advice

Mountbatten-Windsor’s former private secretary appears again in the files in correspondence regarding Ferguson’s financial woes, the solution to which Andrew had hoped to find in Epstein and may have contributed to his decision to continue his relationship with the wealthy financier.

In 2010, after Ferguson had declared bankruptcy, Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded an email from Thirsk to Epstein, summarising an almost £100,000 debt owed to John O’Sullivan, his ex-wife’s personal assistant.

In the email, Mountbatton-Windsor says: “I have passed this to Amanda and she will be in direct email with you.

“She is my eyes and ears and has done the negotiations with all the other creditors. She is tough!”

The emails do not show whether Thirsk and Epstein did speak directly on this matter.

Media guidance

In March 2011, an email appears to show that Thirsk ghost-wrote a media statement to be considered by Epstein and another person – believed to be Ghislaine Maxwell – in relation to a newspaper report.

In Thirsk’s email she says: “Sir, I would go with something along the following lines…

“The allegations that are made by [redacted] in paragraph 6 in relation to The Duke of York are completely untrue and without foundation. The only time I recall them meeting was at my home in 2001 in London – you have published a photo.

“They did not have sex. They may have met again in New York but I categorically state that Prince Andrew did not grope Ms [redacted] and [redacted]. Nor did they have sex. There was no orgy in Little St James [Epstein’s island].”

Mountbatten-Windsor forwarded the statement to Epstein, saying: “This is what is suggested. Make any changes that suit you both that make it relevant to your particular case.”

He added: “There are two competing issues to deal with. 1. Is to clearly state that this is fabrication. And 2 to distance me from any of this if you can.”

It appears to have been part of an ongoing correspondence about the proposed response, as the email subject line is “RESPONSE draft 2”. The email raises questions as to why a palace aide was drafting a media response on behalf of the convicted sex offender and his girlfriend Maxwell.

It is not clear which “photo” the email is referring to.

However, elsewhere in the Epstein files, an email sent by a “G Maxwell” to Epstein in 2015 appears to confirm that a photo of Mountbatten-Windsor alongside Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse, is real, and was taken in London in 2001.

Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied the allegation by Giuffre, previously questioning whether the picture had been doctored and claimed he had never met Giuffre. But the 2015 message states: “In 2001 I was in London when [redacted] met a number of friends of mine including Prince Andrew. A photograph was taken as I imagine she wanted to show it to friends and family.”

The emails have emerged among the millions of “Epstein files” released by US lawmakers in the last week that reveal shocking new details about connections between the disgraced sex offender and some of the world’s rich and powerful.

2026-02-07T06:46:01Z