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4 Feb 2026 23:00
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  •   Home > News > International

    What the Epstein files tell us about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's 'car crash' 2019 interview

    Documents released last week have shed more light on what the former prince might have been lying about in that fateful sit-down with the BBC's flagship current affairs program, Newsnight.


    Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's infamous 2019 BBC interview has for many years been described as a "car crash" and a PR disaster for the former prince and the palace.

    Queen Elizabeth II's second-oldest son gave it in an attempt to restore his reputation in the face of allegations of sexual assault as well as questions about his relationship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

    Many of the claims he made in it were met with scepticism and, in some cases, even ridicule.

    At one point, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor told his interviewer Emily Maitlis he had been left unable to sweat due to an "adrenaline overdose" during the Falklands War — something multiple doctors have discredited.

    Since it aired much has happened. Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has been stripped of his royal titles and largely excommunicated from the family.

    But with every new tranche of the so-called Epstein files that are released online, we are learning more about what the former prince might have been lying about in that fateful sit-down with the BBC's flagship current affairs program, Newsnight.

    To this day it's the only occasion where he has publicly discussed the allegations against him.

    Here are three claims he made that, thanks to new documents made public last week, we now have more information about.

    Claim: 'I am not one to hug'

    During his Newsnight interview, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was asked about a photo of him with his arm around the small of Virginia Roberts Giuffre's back.

    Behind them, Gislaine Maxwell can be seen smiling. She's a former friend of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's, and is also a convicted child sex trafficker who is currently serving jail time in the United States. She's also a co-conspirator of Epstein's.

    Ms Roberts Giuffre accused the former royal of sexually assaulting her three times, including when she was a child.

    Mr Mountbatten-Windsor denies this and, in 2022, reached an out-of-court settlement with her. 

    Ms Roberts Giuffre resettled in Western Australia and died by suicide last year.

    The photo was first published by a British tabloid newspaper, The Mail on Sunday, in 2011.

    In his Newsnight interview, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor said he was "not one to hug" or "display affection" in public.

    He also said he had "no recollection" of the picture being taken and has claimed the image could be fake.

    But the latest Epstein files, released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) on Friday, showed more photographs of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor that are at odds with these claims.

    The images show Mr Mountbatten-Windsor on his hands and knees, crouching over a young woman who is lying on the floor. In one photo, he has his hand resting on her waist.

    It is not clear what exactly the former royal is doing in the photos, and the woman's face has been redacted, so it is impossible to tell who or how old they are.

    Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has not addressed the new pictures publicly.

    Claim: Epstein not 'very close friend'

    Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly downplayed his friendship with Epstein, who died by suicide in the months before the Newsnight interview was recorded.

    "It would be a considerable stretch to say that he was a very, very close friend," he said in the Newsnight interview. "But he had the most extraordinary ability to bring extraordinary people together.

    "I suppose I saw him once or twice a year, perhaps maybe maximum of three times a year."

    The latest Epstein files seem to show a different dynamic to their relationship.

    Emails sent in August 2010 from an address that appears in the redacted files as The Duke, and whose messages were signed off as HRH the Duke of York, discuss with Epstein the possibility of meeting a young Russian woman.

    At that time, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was the Duke of York and Epstein was a convicted child sex offender who had spent time in jail in the US.

    "Would be delighted to see her," the Duke's email read, before querying: "Will she be bringing a message from you? Please give her my contact details to get in touch. Any other information you might know about her that might be useful to know?"

    Epstein replies that: "she [is] 26, russian, clevere [sic] beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email."

    In another email sent from The Duke account and released last week, Epstein is described as "family".

    Claim: No contact with Epstein after December 2010

    In the Newsnight interview, Mr Mountbatten-Windsor claimed he'd ceased contact with Epstein on December 5, 2010, saying he had communicated the decision in person in New York City.

    He claimed the reason he'd done this was because Epstein had the previous year been convicted of child sex offences.

    Documents released as part of the Epstein files last week tell a different story. 

    They show an email sent from The Duke email account and signed off as both "A" and HRH the Duke of York, saying on December 22, 2010: "Dear J, Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and spectacular entry into 2011. It was great to spend time with my US family. Looking forward to joining you all again soon."

    He also organises a time to call his friend in the near future.

    The paper trail continues into 2011.

    In February The Duke account wrote to Epstein telling him to "keep in close touch" and hoped that they would "play some more soon".

    Another email was sent from The Duke account to Epstein complaining about allegations made against him by Ms Roberts Giuffre in March 2011.

    "Please make sure that every statement or legal letter states clearly that I am NOT involved and that I knew and know NOTHING about any of these allegations," it reads.

    These new emails appear to show the pair maintained communication after Mr Mountbatten-Windsor said it had been cut off.


    ABC




    © 2026 ABC Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved

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