Nearly 30,000 pages released by the U.S. Justice Department include emails from 2001–2002 that appear to show a man believed to be Prince Andrew discussing "inappropriate friends" with Ghislaine Maxwell. The messages, sent from an account called "The Invisible Man" and signed "A," reference Balmoral, a longtime valet and the writer's departure from the Royal Navy. The files also reveal internal DOJ tensions over Andrew's cooperation and note his 2022 settlement with Virginia Giuffre.
Newly Released Epstein Files Reignite Scrutiny Of Ex‑Prince Andrew
Britain's former prince Andrew, pictured in London in September 2025, was stripped of his titles over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein (Jordan Pettitt)(Jordan Pettitt/POOL/AFP)
Newly released U.S. Justice Department documents include emails from 2001–2002 that appear to show a man believed to be Britain’s former Prince Andrew discussing arrangements with Ghislaine Maxwell, the associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files — part of nearly 30,000 pages published under a transparency law — add fresh detail to an ongoing controversy over Andrew’s links to Epstein and Maxwell.
What the Documents Show
The correspondence was sent from an account using the alias "The Invisible Man" and signs off with the initial "A." One August 2001 message says the writer was staying at Balmoral, the royal family’s summer residence in Scotland, and asks Maxwell: "Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" While the sender is not explicitly named in the files, several references — including Balmoral, a valet who had served the writer since childhood, and leaving the "RN" (a likely reference to the Royal Navy) in July 2001 — point toward the former prince.
In one exchange Maxwell replies that she has located only "appropriate" acquaintances, prompting a terse response from "A": "Distraught!" In a separate early‑2002 chain, Maxwell forwarded correspondence about a proposed trip to Peru that mentions introducing "Andrew" to companions described as "friendly and discreet." Maxwell, who is serving a 20‑year prison sentence for sex trafficking, also suggested some "two‑legged sight‑seeing."
Legal Context And Fallout
Files highlighted by U.S. media include internal Justice Department emails showing prosecutors debating how to respond publicly to claims from Andrew’s legal team that he was willing to cooperate. Prosecutors privately disputed those claims and later said he offered "zero cooperation" when asked to submit to an interview. U.S. authorities sought to question Andrew in connection with investigations into Epstein, though the royal was not identified as a criminal target in those inquiries.
Andrew settled a U.S. civil lawsuit in 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the royal as a teenager; he did not admit liability. Giuffre later died by suicide, and the posthumous publication of her memoir months afterward contributed to Andrew being stripped of his remaining royal titles.
These newly public documents are likely to renew public scrutiny and raise fresh questions about the former royal’s relationships and the extent of U.S. investigations into Epstein’s network.
