Epstein was told to step back from his royal friend after his reputation ‘took a hit’

Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein emails offer fresh insight into Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre, the Andrew accuser and Epstein whistleblower who died by suicide in 2025.

After Giuffre first alleged she was trafficked to Andrew in 2014, which the British royal denied, Epstein himself was advised to separate himself from the disgraced prince, as Epstein admitted his reputation took “a hit.”

The emails were available before, but unredacted copies with the sender’s name, “VR” for Virginia Roberts, Giuffre’s maiden name, and Andrew’s name, were only just released. The emails, sent shortly after Giuffre accused Andrew, were sent between Epstein and New York Times journalist Landon Thomas Jr. In them, Thomas Jr. says,

I think the big issue is separating yourself from Andrew. I mean in the end he had consensual sex with VR. And VR worked for you. The rest is atmospherics. You have moved on! People don’t know that and cant accept that unless you say as much.”

Thomas Jr. added, “‘I mean I can see why a statement might help in some way — but [it’s] Andrew (not Clinton and the rest) that is keeping the story alive.” To which Epstein responded, ” … [M]y reputation has admittedly taken a hit.”

The matter of consent

What stands out in the correspondence is that Thomas Jr. characterizes the encounter as “consensual,” and Epstein does not dispute or correct that framing in his response. The absence of pushback is notable given Giuffre’s longstanding allegation that she was trafficked at age 17 in New York, London, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

While the age of consent is 17 in New York and 16 in both the U.S. Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom, those thresholds are legally and morally inconsequential in the context of sex trafficking allegations. Under U.S. federal law, a minor cannot legally consent to being trafficked for sex, regardless of local age-of-consent statutes.

Giuffre consistently maintained that she was recruited and transported as part of a trafficking scheme orchestrated by Epstein and his associates, and that she was directed to have sex with powerful men, including Andrew.

Andrew and Buckingham Palace denials

Andrew has repeatedly and unequivocally denied Giuffre’s accusation that he sexually abused her when she was 17. In his widely criticized 2019 BBC interview, he said he had “no recollection” of meeting her and suggested a now-infamous alibi. Buckingham Palace at the time described the allegations as “categorically untrue.” Andrew stepped back from public duties shortly thereafter.

Subsequent court filings and document releases, however, confirmed that a photograph long cited by Giuffre — showing her alongside Andrew with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in the background — was authentic. Andrew has not alleged that the image was doctored, though he has questioned the circumstances surrounding it.

The civil lawsuit Giuffre filed against Andrew in New York was settled in 2022 without an admission of liability, with Andrew agreeing to make a substantial financial payment to Giuffre’s charity.

The newly unredacted emails add another layer to the historical record, as Andrew’s denials continue to fall apart. They show a prominent journalist describing the alleged encounter as “consensual” and the accused financier offering no correction, even as he focused on reputational fallout.