The U.S. Department of Justice released emails from 2001–2002 showing a correspondent signed "A" emailing Ghislaine Maxwell from the Balmoral estate asking whether she had "found me some new inappropriate friends." Other messages discuss planning a Peru trip and include references to "girls." The documents are part of files tied to Jeffrey Epstein and have reignited scrutiny of Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor's past associations; the emails themselves do not allege criminal conduct.
DOJ Emails Show ‘A’ Emailed Ghislaine Maxwell From Balmoral, Discussed Peru Trip and ‘Girls’
Ghislaine Maxwell in New York on September 20, 2013. - Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images
Newly released documents from the U.S. Department of Justice include email exchanges from 2001–2002 between Ghislaine Maxwell and an account signed simply as “A” (and exchanged with an alias listed as “The Invisible Man”). One August 2001 message originating from the Balmoral estate asks Maxwell whether she had “found me some new inappropriate friends,” while later messages discuss arrangements for a trip to Peru and references to "girls." The papers were published as part of a larger trove tied to Jeffrey Epstein.
What The Emails Say
The DOJ release contains multiple messages between 2001 and 2002. In an August 16, 2001 email, the correspondent who signs as "A" wrote that he was "up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family" and asked, "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" Maxwell replied she had "only been able to find appropriate friends." None of the released messages themselves allege criminal conduct.
"I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family. How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" — Email signed "A," Aug. 16, 2001
Peru Trip Exchanges
Separate messages dated February–March 2002 show Maxwell appearing to coordinate travel plans between the correspondent signed "A" and a Peruvian handler. The handler outlined sightseeing options and asked about "the girls," prompting Maxwell to forward the query and to describe the traveler as wanting "sight seeing (read intelligent pretty fun and from good families)." The correspondent signed "A" replied that he was "overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of the offers" and said he would leave arrangements about "girls" to Maxwell and the handler.
Context And Public Fallout
The DOJ documents do not explicitly identify "A" as Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor, though public reporting notes that he met Jeffrey Epstein in 1999 after an introduction by Maxwell. Andrew Mountbatten‑Windsor left the Royal Navy in July 2001 and later stepped back from public royal duties in 2019 following media scrutiny over his links to Epstein. He has denied allegations of wrongdoing; in 2022 he reached a civil settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of abuse. Giuffre died by suicide in April.
The renewed attention around the released files contributed to further actions by the royal household, including the removal of the former prince's royal titles and his departure from his Windsor residence.
What The Documents Do — And Don’t — Show
These emails provide context about social contacts and travel arrangements during the early 2000s and form part of broader legal records connected to Epstein. Journalists and officials have stressed that the messages alone do not constitute proof of criminal conduct, and representatives tied to the former prince have been asked for comment.
Key dates: Aug. 16, 2001 (Balmoral email); Feb–Mar 2002 (Peru trip exchanges); 2019 (Epstein death; Andrew steps back from duties); 2022 (civil settlement).
