Jan. 9, 2026

Crown and Controversy - Prince Andrew - 4. The Epstein Connection

Crown and Controversy - Prince Andrew - 4. The Epstein Connection

In the late 1990s, a socialite named Ghislaine Maxwell introduced Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein. What began as friendship eventually became a public relations nightmare. As Epstein’s crimes came to light, photographs of Andrew ignited global outrage. 

Palace Intrigue is your daily royal family podcast, diving deep into the modern-day drama, power struggles, and scandals shaping the future of the monarchy.

Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.


Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.

👑 Follow our hit series Crown and Controversy! Season 1 and 2 are fully available now for everyone. Season 3 has new episodes every Sunday on the regular feed. GET THE FULL SEASON 3 BEFORE REGULAR LISTENERS as a subscriber! Hit that "UNINTERRUPTED LISTENING" Banner on the top of the Apple player. AND listen to Crown and Controversy "NORWAY'S ROYAL REBELS" here and get the full season as a premium subscriber now. 

👑 The Palace Intrigue Social Hub is Live! Join the conve

WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:04.360
This is Crown and Controversy, an entertainment series inspired by

2
00:00:04.400 --> 00:00:08.279
true events inside the modern British monarchy. While no one

3
00:00:08.400 --> 00:00:12.119
truly knows what happens behind closed palace doors, this story

4
00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:16.239
draws from public records, news reports, and on the record quotes.

5
00:00:17.440 --> 00:00:24.879
Some scenes have been dramatized for a storytelling effect Calaroga

6
00:00:24.920 --> 00:00:26.079
Shark media.

7
00:00:46.000 --> 00:00:50.119
There are photographs that do not fade. They live in archives,

8
00:00:50.520 --> 00:00:55.359
in documentaries. In the quiet pause before a statement, three

9
00:00:55.439 --> 00:00:58.759
particular images would come to define a royal crisis and

10
00:00:58.799 --> 00:01:02.119
a personal downfall. The first is said to have been

11
00:01:02.159 --> 00:01:06.799
taken in a London flat. A young woman, Virginia Gufre,

12
00:01:07.319 --> 00:01:11.799
then known as Virginia Roberts, smiles faintly next to her,

13
00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:16.599
A man with a familiar face, relaxed, confident, unaware that

14
00:01:16.640 --> 00:01:21.799
the moment would outlive him. Behind them, Guilaine Maxwell, half

15
00:01:21.840 --> 00:01:26.200
in shadow. The image surfaced in early twenty eleven and

16
00:01:26.239 --> 00:01:29.519
became one of the most widely circulated royal photographs of

17
00:01:29.519 --> 00:01:33.519
the modern era. Andrew said he had no recollection of

18
00:01:33.599 --> 00:01:37.319
ever meeting the young woman and denied all allegations connected

19
00:01:37.359 --> 00:01:40.560
to her. Still, the picture became a symbol that the

20
00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:44.400
palace could not contain. The second image shows a walk

21
00:01:44.439 --> 00:01:49.760
through Central Park in the winter of twenty ten. Andrew,

22
00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:54.000
wearing a coat and scarf, is beside Jeffrey Epstein, the

23
00:01:54.040 --> 00:01:57.879
American financier who had been convicted two years earlier of

24
00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:03.040
sex offenses involving a miner. The meeting came after Epstein's

25
00:02:03.079 --> 00:02:06.439
first release from jail. Andrew would later say that he

26
00:02:06.480 --> 00:02:09.680
went to New York to end the friendship. The world

27
00:02:09.800 --> 00:02:14.159
was not persuaded. The third photograph shows the doorway of

28
00:02:14.199 --> 00:02:19.520
Epstein's Manhattan townhouse. The Prince stands there smiling as a

29
00:02:19.560 --> 00:02:24.039
member of staff closes the door behind him. That photograph,

30
00:02:24.319 --> 00:02:27.919
taken during the same trip, would appear in newspapers around

31
00:02:27.919 --> 00:02:31.280
the world and come to represent what many believed was

32
00:02:31.319 --> 00:02:36.479
the tone of the entire scandal, careless, privileged and entirely

33
00:02:36.520 --> 00:02:41.759
out of touch. Before the photographs, there had been private dinners, introductions,

34
00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:46.439
and meetings arranged quietly. After them, there were headlines that

35
00:02:46.520 --> 00:02:50.599
did not stop a royal household scrambling to manage a crisis,

36
00:02:51.120 --> 00:02:54.800
and the slow realization that a friendship, once tolerated, had

37
00:02:54.840 --> 00:03:00.319
become a national embarrassment. This is Crown and controversy Prince

38
00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:08.800
Andrew Episode four, The Epstein Connection. In the late nineteen nineties,

39
00:03:09.159 --> 00:03:13.240
London society often mixed with New York wealth. Among the

40
00:03:13.240 --> 00:03:17.960
guests who floated easily between those worlds was Geelane Maxwell,

41
00:03:18.479 --> 00:03:22.159
daughter of the late publisher Robert Maxwell. She was known

42
00:03:22.199 --> 00:03:27.360
for her charm, her confidence, and her access. Around that time,

43
00:03:27.879 --> 00:03:32.639
she reportedly introduced Prince Andrew to Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein was,

44
00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:35.400
by all appearances the kind of man a trade envoy

45
00:03:35.560 --> 00:03:38.919
might wish to know. He owned private jets and properties

46
00:03:38.960 --> 00:03:43.080
from Palm Beach to Paris. His connections extended from Wall

47
00:03:43.120 --> 00:03:46.599
Street to the White House. He moved through social circles

48
00:03:46.639 --> 00:03:50.560
that prized influence, and he understood that a photograph with

49
00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:54.039
a royal could open doors far faster than a handshake

50
00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:59.039
with a minister. Andrew, recently retired from the Royal Navy,

51
00:03:59.439 --> 00:04:03.199
had been a tented Britain's Special Representative for Trade and Investment.

52
00:04:03.759 --> 00:04:06.840
The job was not glamorous, but it gave him purpose.

53
00:04:07.439 --> 00:04:13.000
He traveled constantly promoting British industry, attending conferences and shaking

54
00:04:13.039 --> 00:04:17.720
hands with world leaders. Epstein's circle seemed like an efficient

55
00:04:17.800 --> 00:04:20.920
shortcut to the kind of people who could invest in Britain.

56
00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:25.680
For a time, the friendship seemed useful. The two men

57
00:04:25.720 --> 00:04:29.160
appeared at events together, dined in London and New York,

58
00:04:29.720 --> 00:04:35.040
and were often photographed with wealthy acquaintances. The relationship drew

59
00:04:35.079 --> 00:04:39.040
little attention at first. Epstein was a financier with money

60
00:04:39.079 --> 00:04:42.240
to spend, and Andrew was a prince who had always

61
00:04:42.279 --> 00:04:47.720
been comfortable among the powerful. Inside Buckingham Palace, courtiers noticed

62
00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:51.720
the names appearing beside Andrew's in the social pages. Some

63
00:04:51.759 --> 00:04:56.839
of them carried reputations that raised quiet concern, yet few

64
00:04:56.879 --> 00:05:00.560
believed it would lead anywhere dangerous. After all, Andrew had

65
00:05:00.639 --> 00:05:04.519
long been considered the Queen's favorite son. To question him

66
00:05:04.560 --> 00:05:08.560
too forcefully would have been to question her judgment. Then,

67
00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:12.639
in December twenty ten, came the walk in Central Park.

68
00:05:13.480 --> 00:05:17.480
Epstein had already served time in Florida after pleading guilty

69
00:05:17.720 --> 00:05:21.600
to offenses involving a minor. His conviction was public record.

70
00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:25.759
When photographers captured Andrew walking beside him in New York.

71
00:05:26.160 --> 00:05:32.040
The images ignited immediate outrage. The timing seemed impossible to defend.

72
00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:38.199
Andrew's office said little. The palace, too, remained silent. Within days,

73
00:05:38.240 --> 00:05:41.480
the photographs appeared across front pages on both sides of

74
00:05:41.519 --> 00:05:46.439
the Atlantic. Commentators speculated about how long the friendship had

75
00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:49.839
continued and why Andrew had chosen to visit Epstein at all.

76
00:05:50.879 --> 00:05:53.759
Andrew would later explain that he went to New York

77
00:05:53.879 --> 00:05:57.879
only to end the relationship, Yet his decision to stay

78
00:05:57.879 --> 00:06:03.040
at Epstein's home for several days undercut the story. Witnesses

79
00:06:03.079 --> 00:06:07.399
recalled dinner parties and meetings during that visit. The image

80
00:06:07.439 --> 00:06:11.519
of a royal staying with a convicted sex offender was catastrophic.

81
00:06:12.439 --> 00:06:16.920
The Queen was reportedly distressed, Charles, already preparing for his

82
00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:22.079
future as king, urged caution. William watched and learned how

83
00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:26.000
swiftly one man's poor judgment could threaten the dignity of

84
00:06:26.040 --> 00:06:43.759
the institution itself. The Queen's affection could not erase the storm.

85
00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:48.680
By early twenty eleven, the headlines had hardened into something permanent.

86
00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:53.439
Newspapers printed the photograph taken years earlier in the London flat.

87
00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:57.279
The young woman at the center of the image identified

88
00:06:57.279 --> 00:07:02.920
herself publicly Andrew meeting her. The denials did not matter.

89
00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:08.160
The public had the picture. Around this time, pressure built

90
00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:11.920
on the government to review Andrew's role as trade envoy.

91
00:07:12.720 --> 00:07:16.920
Officials received quiet messages from diplomats who said the Prince's

92
00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:20.920
name was being met with raised eyebrows at meetings abroad.

93
00:07:21.959 --> 00:07:25.079
The Foreign Office found itself defending an arrangement that had

94
00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:31.000
once seemed harmless. There were reports of extravagant travel. Journalists

95
00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:35.319
calculated flight patterns and hotel stays, pointing to a preference

96
00:07:35.360 --> 00:07:41.680
for private jets and expensive delegations. The nickname air Miles Andy,

97
00:07:42.079 --> 00:07:46.319
once a tabloid joke, returned with a new edge in private.

98
00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:50.199
Andrew's team insisted the trips were legitimate. He had helped

99
00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.079
British firms win contracts. They said he had promoted innovation

100
00:07:54.240 --> 00:07:59.519
and goodwill, but perception mattered more than paperwork. The friendship

101
00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:04.680
with Epstein coloured everything that came after. Diplomats whispered that

102
00:08:04.720 --> 00:08:08.920
the Duke spoke with more confidence than discretion. One account

103
00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:12.600
from an overseas reception described him as outspoken to the

104
00:08:12.600 --> 00:08:17.560
point of rudeness. Another described an entourage that seemed unusually

105
00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:20.360
large for a man who claimed to work without pay.

106
00:08:21.360 --> 00:08:25.279
There was even amusement later retold by former embassy staff,

107
00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:28.680
about a personal valet traveling with an ironing board that

108
00:08:28.800 --> 00:08:34.120
followed Andrew everywhere. The anecdotes became symbols of tone deaf excess.

109
00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:38.200
They confirmed what many already believed that the Duke had

110
00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:43.279
lost touch with public expectation. Then came a new embarrassment.

111
00:08:44.679 --> 00:08:49.480
Sarah Ferguson, Andrew's ex wife but longtime companion, admitted that

112
00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:53.440
she had accepted fifteen thousand pounds from Jeffrey Epstein to

113
00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:57.200
help settle her debts. She called it a gigantic error.

114
00:08:57.960 --> 00:09:02.080
The revelation compounded the crisis. What had begun as a

115
00:09:02.120 --> 00:09:06.600
friendship now reached into every corner of Andrew's life. The

116
00:09:06.679 --> 00:09:11.720
Queen remained outwardly calm. Behind the scenes, courtiers described a

117
00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:17.360
sovereign torn between maternal instinct and constitutional duty. Her son's

118
00:09:17.360 --> 00:09:21.080
behavior was not criminal, but it was indefensible for a

119
00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:25.279
monarch who valued discretion above all else. The headlines were intolerable.

120
00:09:26.360 --> 00:09:29.759
The Palace confirmed that Andrew would step down as Britain's

121
00:09:29.799 --> 00:09:34.039
trade envoy. The announcement was short and stripped of emotion.

122
00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:40.799
Inside Whitehall, relief was palpable. The scandal had embarrassed ministries

123
00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:44.399
from London to Washington. Andrew was said to be angry.

124
00:09:45.399 --> 00:09:47.840
He believed he had served well and unfairly become the

125
00:09:47.879 --> 00:09:51.840
target of gossip. To the public. It looked like consequence

126
00:09:51.919 --> 00:09:55.840
at last, for a brief period, he retreated from view.

127
00:09:56.320 --> 00:10:00.960
The news cycle moved on, but scandals have long half lives,

128
00:10:01.240 --> 00:10:15.279
and the next wave would be worse. In twenty fifteen,

129
00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:19.360
new court filings in the United States again referenced Andrew's name.

130
00:10:19.879 --> 00:10:25.720
The same photograph reappeared, reprinted endlessly. Commentators debated what it meant,

131
00:10:26.039 --> 00:10:30.240
what could be proven, what was speculation. Each repetition deepened

132
00:10:30.279 --> 00:10:35.120
the damage. In twenty nineteen, Jeffrey Epstein was arrested again,

133
00:10:35.759 --> 00:10:40.240
this time on federal charges of sex trafficking miners. He

134
00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:43.759
was found dead in his jail cell weeks later, in

135
00:10:43.799 --> 00:10:48.440
what authorities ruled a suicide. That same year, renewed focus

136
00:10:48.440 --> 00:10:51.600
turned to Ghislaine Maxwell, who would later be convicted in

137
00:10:51.639 --> 00:10:55.559
the United States of conspiring to recruit and groom victims

138
00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.720
for Epstein's abuse. She is serving a lengthy sentence. Today.

139
00:11:00.399 --> 00:11:03.440
Andrew was not charged with any crime, but he was

140
00:11:03.480 --> 00:11:08.440
again in every headline. Each new revelation in the United

141
00:11:08.440 --> 00:11:14.279
States reignited questions. In Britain, charities began to distance themselves.

142
00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:19.799
Military units quietly sought reassignment of their royal patronages. Public

143
00:11:19.799 --> 00:11:25.120
support evaporated. In early twenty twenty two, Virginia Juffrey filed

144
00:11:25.159 --> 00:11:28.519
a civil lawsuit against Andrew in New York. The case

145
00:11:28.600 --> 00:11:33.039
was settled that February. The settlement included no admission of wrongdoing,

146
00:11:33.399 --> 00:11:37.320
but the damage was complete. After that, the process of

147
00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:42.000
separation between the Duke and the institution accelerated. Honorary military

148
00:11:42.080 --> 00:11:47.240
roles were removed, public appearances were curtailed, invitations dried up.

149
00:11:47.919 --> 00:11:51.600
The Palace phrased its statements in language that balanced compassion

150
00:11:51.679 --> 00:11:57.159
with finality. Throughout Andrew maintained his innocence. He continued to

151
00:11:57.200 --> 00:12:02.080
deny all allegations, insisting that the truth would vindicate him,

152
00:12:02.279 --> 00:12:05.519
but in the court of public opinion, verdicts rarely wait

153
00:12:05.600 --> 00:12:09.960
for evidence. Within the family, the response was quiet but decisive.

154
00:12:10.879 --> 00:12:15.120
The Queen, ever loyal to her children, reportedly continued to

155
00:12:15.159 --> 00:12:20.000
offer private support. Charles, who would soon become king, believed

156
00:12:20.000 --> 00:12:24.080
that the monarchy could not afford sentiment. William, now watching

157
00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:28.000
the machinery of consequence up close, understood that the survival

158
00:12:28.000 --> 00:12:33.279
of the institution would always outweigh personal ties. Three images

159
00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:36.879
remained at the center of it all. The London flat,

160
00:12:37.519 --> 00:12:41.240
the New York Park, the Manhattan doorway. They were not

161
00:12:41.399 --> 00:12:45.320
proof of guilt, but they were evidence of judgment, or

162
00:12:45.399 --> 00:12:48.639
the lack of it. For the monarchy, the lesson was

163
00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:54.960
sharp and enduring. Reputation is inheritance. Once lost, it cannot

164
00:12:54.960 --> 00:12:59.679
be reclaimed. The Queen lived her entire reign by the

165
00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:03.360
idea that the crown must be seen to endure. In

166
00:13:03.399 --> 00:13:10.279
the end, it did. The cost was a sun next time,

167
00:13:10.679 --> 00:13:14.639
a single interview meant to clear the air, instead destroys

168
00:13:14.879 --> 00:13:30.200
what little remained. While no one truly knows what happens

169
00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:31.720
behind closed palace doors.

170
00:13:32.240 --> 00:13:36.279
This entertainment series uses news sources, on the record, quotes,

171
00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:41.600
and some artistic license. Some moments have been dramatized for

172
00:13:41.679 --> 00:13:47.240
storytelling effect. To keep up with the modern day Royal family,

173
00:13:47.919 --> 00:13:52.799
follow our sister podcast, Palace Intrigue, a seven day a week,

174
00:13:53.399 --> 00:13:57.840
ten minute update on the Royals, Crown and Controversy, is

175
00:13:57.879 --> 00:14:04.120
a production of Caloroga Shark Meets Executive producers Mark Francis

176
00:14:04.200 --> 00:14:05.440
and John McDermott