Documents released by the United States Department of Justice revealed that Britain’s Prince Andrew provided support to the convicted human trafficker Jeffrey Epstein during an official visit to the United Arab Emirates in 2010, a trip he undertook alongside the late Queen Elizabeth II.
According to a report by the British newspaper The Financial Times, the former prince wrote to Epstein on 24 November of that year following a meeting with “Abdullah”, a reference to Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Prince Andrew, who at the time held the title Duke of York, wrote: “I went in strongly. He thinks you are wonderful and wants to introduce you to Sheikh Mohammed, the Crown Prince.”
At the time, Prince Andrew was on a state visit to the UAE with his mother Queen Elizabeth II, his father Prince Philip, and William Hague, who was serving as the United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary.
Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was then the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, later becoming in 2022 the Ruler of the Emirate and President of the UAE.
The newspaper noted that these messages represent the latest disclosures illustrating how the relationship between Mountbatten Windsor, Prince Andrew, and Epstein intersected with Andrew’s official roles as a working member of the royal family and as the United Kingdom’s special representative for trade and investment.
Prince Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, served as the UK’s trade envoy from 2001 to 2011 and remained a working royal until he stepped back from public duties in 2019 following controversy surrounding his relationship with Epstein.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor. The financier completed a period of house arrest related to that offence in July 2010, just months before some of the discussions referenced in the emails.
The files released by the US Department of Justice as part of its investigation into the Epstein case contained substantial material relating to Prince Andrew.
According to the documents, Epstein himself met with Abdullah bin Zayed shortly before the state visit involving the Queen, and provided Mountbatten Windsor with arguments to use in encouraging the UAE foreign minister to work with him.
These arguments were that the Emirati prince could trust Epstein, that he possessed financial expertise, and that he was a “funder of advanced science”. The fourth argument was a single word: “pleasure”.
Epstein responded to Prince Andrew’s account of the meeting with the foreign minister by suggesting that the three men take a holiday together. He wrote: “Ask Abdullah when we can all go on holiday together.”
The newspaper stated there is no indication that such a holiday ever took place. However, an email dated 3 December 2010 showed that one of Epstein’s assistants was attempting to arrange a three-way telephone call between the three men. The files also show that Epstein visited the UAE in August 2011, with several emails indicating a planned meeting between him and the foreign minister that was cancelled at the last minute.
