The latest tranche of Jeffrey Epstein files, released by the US Justice Department, has unveiled a series of disturbing revelations and embarrassing correspondences involving prominent British figures, sparking renewed calls for accountability. Labour leader Keir Starmer has publicly urged Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to testify before the US Congress regarding his association with the late child sex offender, emphasizing a "victim-centred" approach.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles following the fallout from his friendship with the billionaire paedophile, features heavily in the newly disclosed documents. Images appearing to show him crouching over a woman on the floor have emerged, alongside emails indicating he invited Epstein to Buckingham Palace in September 2010, two years after Epstein’s conviction for soliciting girls as young as 14 for sex. Further correspondence from a month prior suggests Epstein offered to arrange dinner for Mountbatten-Windsor with a "clever, beautiful and trustworthy" 26-year-old Russian woman, to which he reportedly responded he would be "delighted." He also inquired if Epstein was "good to be free" from house arrest. Despite his 2019 Newsnight interview claim of travelling to the US to end their friendship, emails reveal a star-studded dinner in his honor at Epstein's New York home during that trip. More intimately, files show Mountbatten-Windsor continued to send Epstein family pictures of his adult daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, in Christmas emails from 2011 and 2012. In 2022, Mountbatten-Windsor paid a reported £12 million settlement to Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with him, though he denied wrongdoing and made the payment without accepting liability. A new FBI statement from July 2020 alleges a woman was trafficked to Epstein and "abused terribly" by both Epstein and Andrew between 1996 and 2018. Photographs also appear to show him touching a woman's abdomen. Both he and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson, have faced ostracism from royal circles due to their continued association with Epstein after his initial conviction.

Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, initially expressed deep regret in 2011 over her involvement with Epstein, admitting it was a "gigantic error of judgment" and that Epstein had paid off £15,000 of her debts. However, the files reveal Epstein and his publicist, Mike Sitrick, concocted a scheme to rehabilitate Epstein’s image by pressuring Ferguson to publicly retract her criticism. Sitrick suggested Ferguson declare she had been "mistaken," apologize, and state that "Jeffrey is not a pedophile." He even proposed the threat of a "draft defamation lawsuit" if "gentle persuasion" failed. Ferguson privately apologized to Epstein in an email, calling him her "supreme friend," but denied using the "P word" publicly. Her financial struggles were also evident in communications, including an urgent request to Epstein in October 2009 for £20,000 for rent, warning of landlord threats to go to newspapers. She also sought his advice on marketing her "Sarah Ferguson brand" and mentioned taking her daughters to meet Epstein, remarking on his "kindness." While Epstein was under house arrest in 2009, she affectionately described him as "the brother [she] always wished for." The relationship, however, appeared to sour later, with Epstein referring to a photo of Ferguson as "not the prettiest sight."

Richard Branson, the Virgin Group founder, also appears in the files, having met Epstein in 2013 at his private Necker Island. Emails show Branson offered Epstein public relations advice on how to restore his reputation after his 2008 conviction. In a notable exchange, Branson told Epstein, "Any time you're in the area, would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!" He suggested that if Bill Gates would vouch for Epstein as a " brilliant advisor" who "slipped up many years ago by sleeping with a 17½-year-old woman and were punished for it," it could aid his image. A Virgin Group spokesperson stated that contact between Richard and Joan Branson and Epstein was minimal, occurring on a few occasions in group or business settings. They claimed that due diligence on a charity donation from Epstein uncovered serious allegations, leading to the rejection of the donation and an end to all contact. The spokesperson clarified that "harem" was a term Epstein used for three adult members of his team, and Branson would not have used it if he had known the full facts, reiterating that Branson believes Epstein's actions were abhorrent.

Lord Peter Mandelson, a Labour peer and former UK ambassador to the US, is another prominent figure implicated. The files reveal that his husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, received £10,000 from Epstein in the year after his conviction, ostensibly to fund an osteopathy course. Emails also suggest Mandelson requested to stay at one of Epstein’s properties while Epstein was serving his day-release jail term. Mandelson was previously removed from his ambassadorship in September for maintaining supportive contact with Epstein. He has since expressed regret, stating he was "wrong" to continue his association after the conviction, though he maintained he was "never culpable or complicit" in Epstein’s crimes.

These documents continue to shed light on the extensive network of individuals who maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein, highlighting the ongoing repercussions for those associated with the disgraced financier and reinforcing the call for transparency and justice for his many victims.