How Is Prince Andrew Connected to the Jeffrey Epstein Scandal? Timeline

Prince Andrew’s downfall as a working royal is unquestionably intertwined with his connection to the late disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

While Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing, he was accused by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts) of sexually assaulting her three times when she was 17 years old. The two apparently met through Epstein and his companion Ghislaine Maxwell, the latter of whom was convicted of sex trafficking of a minor following Epstein’s death by suicide in 2019. (Maxwell maintains her innocence.)

Prince Andrew initially stepped back from his royal duties as the Epstein scandal exploded in 2019, but it wasn’t until the allegations resurfaced in October 2025 that he formally gave up his royal title.

“[I will] no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me,” he told Us Weekly in a statement. “As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

Keep scrolling for a full timeline of Andrew’s connection to Epstein.

Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein’s Introduction

Andrew told Newsnight journalist Emily Maitlis in a bombshell 2019 interview that he was introduced to Epstein in 1999, which differs from notes taken by the prince’s private secretary in 2011, which specified that Andrew and the financier met in “the early 1990s.”

The two men were reportedly introduced by Maxwell, Prince Andrew’s longtime friend and Epstein’s companion.

Jeffrey Epstein Visited Prince Andrew at Windsor Castle

Andrew confirmed to Newsnight that Epstein visited him at Windsor Castle and Sandringham in 2000, though he specified that the financier wasn’t given a formal invitation from the royal family.

“[It was] certainly at my invitation, not at the Royal Family’s invitation but remember that it was his girlfriend [Maxwell] that was the key element in this,” Andrew insisted. “He was, as it were, plus one, to some extent in that aspect.”

That same year, Andrew and Epstein were both spotted at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

Epstein’s Conviction

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to charges of child prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. As part of a plea deal, he served only 13 months behind bars.

Prince Andrew told Newsnight that he’d “ceased contact” with Epstein throughout the investigation and trial, but got back in touch in 2010.

“It was one of those things that somebody’s going through that sort of thing, ‘Well I’m terribly sorry I can’t be [seen with] you,’” he explained.

Prince Andrew’s New York Visit

Prince Andrew made a very controversial decision to visit Epstein at his New York City mansion in 2010, following the convicted sex offender’s release from the Palm Beach County Jail. On Newsnight, the royal was asked why he’d agreed to stay at Epstein’s home in light of his conviction.

“I’ve questioned myself as to why did I go and what was I doing and was it the right thing to do?” he said. “Now, I went there with the sole purpose of saying to him that because he had been convicted, it was inappropriate for us to be seen together.”

The two were seen together days later when the paparazzi photographed them on a walk in Central Park.

“We had an opportunity to go for a walk in the park and that was the conversation coincidentally that was photographed which was when I said to him, I said, ‘Look, because of what has happened, I don’t think it is appropriate that we should remain in contact,’ and by mutual agreement during that walk in the park we decided that we would part company and I left,” Andrew told Newsnight. “I think it was the next day and to this day I never had any contact with him from that day forward.”

Andrew Resigns From Key Role

The repercussions over Andrew and Epstein’s Central Park photograph were swift, as Buckingham Palace announced in 2011 that Andrew would resign as a U.K. trade envoy.

Sexual Assault Allegation Against Andrew

As part of a victim’s rights lawsuit against Epstein and Maxwell, Giuffre alleged that she was sexually abused by Andrew when she was 17 years old in 2001. Following a night out at London’s Tramp nightclub with Epstein, Maxwell and Andrew, Giuffre alleged that she was paid $15,000 by Maxwell and told to “do for [Prince Andrew] what you do for Epstein” at Maxwell’s apartment.

“I’ve no recollection of ever meeting her. I’m, almost, in fact I’m convinced that I was never in Tramps with her,” Andrew told Newsnight in 2019. “There are a number of things that are wrong with that story, one of which is that I don’t know where the bar is in Tramps. I don’t drink. I don’t think I’ve ever bought a drink in Tramps whenever I was there.”

In another fiery exchange from his Newsnight interview, Maitlis brought up Giuffre’s memory of Andrew “profusely sweating” as they danced together at Tramps.

“There’s a slight problem with the sweating because I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don’t sweat or I didn’t sweat at the time and that was … was it … yes, I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenalin in the Falkland’s War when I was shot at and I simply … it was almost impossible for me to sweat,” he replied.

A photograph of Prince Andrew and Giuffre exists though Andew denied the “photograph was taken” by Epstein in order to compel him to contribute to a rehabilitation of the financier’s image.

“If that photograph was taken with that purpose in mind, then it doesn’t … equate to what actually happened,” he insisted.

Giuffre won a defamation lawsuit against Maxwell in 2017 and settled a separate suit with Epstein in 2009.

Epstein’s 2nd Arrest

The financier was taken into custody on federal charges of sex trafficking minors on July 6, 2019. Federal officials apprehended Epstein at Teterboro airport in New Jersey as he returned from a flight to Paris.

Episode Found Dead

Epstein was found dead of a suspected suicide in his jail cell at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019.

Newsnight Interview

Prince Andrew sat down for a 58-minute TV interview with BBC Newsnight journalist Emily Maitlis, where he hesitated when asked if he regretted his friendship with Epstein.

“Still not and the reason being is that the people that I met and the opportunities that I was given to learn either by him or because of him were actually very useful,” Andrew answered. “He himself not, as it were, as close as you might think, we weren’t that close. So therefore, I mean yes, I would go and stay in his house but that was because of his girlfriend, not because of him.”

Responding to Giuffre’s accusations, Andrew said he had “no recollection of ever meeting” her and denied any wrongdoing.

Stepping Back

In light of his disastrous Newsnight appearance, Andrew announced in November 2019 that he was stepping back from royal duties.

“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstance relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to my family’s work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” he said. “Therefore, I have asked Her Majesty if I may step back from public duties for the foreseeable future, and she has given her permission.”

Lawsuit and Private Settlement

Giuffre accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a lawsuit filed in 2021. Lawyers for the royal confirmed in February 2022 that he’d settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum. Andrew continued to maintain his innocence.

“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights,” a letter from his attorneys read. “Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”

Giuffre died by suicide at age 41 in April 2025.

New Book on Prince Andrew Exposes Alleged Emails

Andrew Lownie’s tell-all 2025 book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York set off a firestorm of new allegations about the prince’s connection to Epstein. Multiple U.K. outlets published alleged email correspondence between Andrew, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and Epstein.

One alleged email sent in 2011 saw Andrew writing to Epstein that they were “in this together and will have to rise above it.” Another email allegedly sent after Ferguson publicly distanced herself from Epstein in 2011 saw her address the convicted sex offender as “a steadfast, generous and supreme friend to me and my family.”

In response to the resurfaced messages, Ferguson’s spokesperson told BBC News: “The duchess spoke of her regret about her association with Epstein many years ago, and as they have always been, her first thoughts are with his victims. Like many people, she was taken in by his lies. As soon as she was aware of the extent of the allegations against him, she not only cut off contact but condemned him publicly, to the extent that he then threatened to sue her for defamation for associating him with paedophilia.”

Prince Andrew Officially Resigns From Royal Duties, Gives Up His Title

With tension once again mounting over the Epstein scandal, Prince Andrew announced in October 2025 that he would give up his royal title.

“In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family,” Andrew said in a statement to Us on October 17, 2025. “I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.”

He concluded, “With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honors which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”