Spanish
Ghislaine Maxwell contacted the rich and powerful friends of her ex-partner and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to have them send handwritten letters congratulating the billionaire on his 50th birthday.
According to a US informant, cited by British media, among those friends was British Prince Andrew.
"Ghislaine was the driving force behind the birthday tributes. She wanted it to be a who's who of Epstein's inner circle, and she relied on many people to write something. It wasn't about casual greetings. Ghislaine wanted personal and meaningful messages," she said.
The notes were bound in a leather album, discovered by investigators from the U.S. Department of Justice during an investigation into the inner circle of the financial magnate. It came to light after it was reported that the U.S. president, Donald Trump, had contributed a signed note containing the drawing of a naked woman.
"Jeffrey always saw Andrés as his best friend," the source added, noting that the gesture was presented as a "celebration of Epstein's brilliance, his generosity, his supposed unique mind; it made it seem like an honor to be included."
It is unknown whether the Duke of York sent a message. However, his friendship at that time was already consolidated. The prince was a regular at social gatherings with Epstein, whom he met in 1999 thanks to Maxwell. He visited the financier in New York, Florida, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and received him at Balmoral, Windsor Castle, Sandringham, and Royal Ascot.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied having knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
In a 2014 court file, one of the victims, VirginiaGiuffre, stated that Epstein lent her to Andrew and that she had been forced to have sexual relations with him on three occasions during her adolescence. The Duke has denied the accusations. In 2021, she sued him in New York for sexual abuse, which he settled out of court with an agreement supposedly worth 12 million pounds sterling (16 million dollars). The scandal cost Andrew his royal titles and his reputation.
Giuffre, one of the most prominent survivors of Epstein's sexual abuse, committed suicide in Australia in April of this year, at the age of 41.
