Revealed: Epstein plan to make Andrew and ‘Petie’ Mandelson ‘star advisers’ in a new consultancy business
- Epstein emailed his private bank to invite the Duke and former Cabinet minister
- The bank is being sued over claims it knowingly benefitted from Epstein’s crimes
Paeodophile Jeffrey Epstein planned to hire Prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson to be his ‘star advisers’ for a new consultancy business, bombshell messages reveal.
After being released from an 18-month jail sentence for child prostitution offences, billionaire financier Epstein emailed his private banker Jes Staley to say he wanted to bring the Duke of York and the former Labour Cabinet Minister into his business plans.
He wrote: ‘I need to decide how to gear up my advisory business. Grab a group from Goldman [Sachs, the investment bank]?.. Hire 5-10 stars? Larry? Peter? Andrew?’
It’s understood Larry, Peter and Andrew refer to Larry Summers, former US Treasury Secretary at the White House; Lord Mandelson, referred to affectionately in the emails as ‘Petie’ by Epstein; and Prince Andrew.
It is not thought any of them took up the role with Epstein, who was found hanged in a New York prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on more sex trafficking charges.
Former Cabinet Minister Peter Mandelson (pictured: left) was photographed with Jefferey Epstein, who was celebrating his 54th birthday
Twenty-two pages of emails between Epstein and Mr Staley, many mentioning Andrew and Lord Mandelson, have been released as a result of a sex trafficking case filed against JP Morgan bank by the US Virgin Islands government.
The bank, where Epstein was a client, is being sued over claims it knowingly benefited from Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
In an email on June 14, 2010, Epstein tells Mr Staley, who went on to be chief executive of Barclays bank in the UK: ‘Andrew just sat next to me at dinner.’
In a further email, in December 2010, Mr Staley emailed Epstein that it was ‘sort of cool’ to get a Christmas note from Andrew.
In June 2009, Epstein wrote to Mr Staley: ‘Ask Andrew about the island, tell him about your boat plans.’ This is believed to be a reference to Epstein’s Caribbean home where girls were trafficked.
Andrew was pictured in Central Park in New York with Epstein in December 2010, shortly after he was released from prison.
Andrew said in a disastrous Newsnight interview that this was the last contact he had with Epstein.
Prince Andrew was pictured leaving sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s home to go for a stroll together through New York’s Central Park in 2011
But the new emails appear to show he was still in touch with Epstein in February 2011. Andrew and Lord Mandelson knew Epstein through tycoon Robert Maxwell’s daughter Ghislaine, who is serving 20 years in a US jail for helping Epstein to traffic girls.
Lord Mandelson’s spokesman denied any professional or business relationship with Epstein. ‘He had no knowledge of the email exchange,’ the spokesman added.
Last year, Andrew paid a reported £12 million to settle a civil case brought by Virginia Roberts, 39, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17. He denies her claims. Andrew did not respond to a request for comment last night.
