Revelations about the relationships maintained by convicted businessman for child abuse and trafficking, who committed suicide in his cell, Jeffrey Epstein, have caused tremors from politics to palaces, with scandals unfolding one after another and consequences cascading. The revelations are already “hitting” two continents – America and Europe – with recent developments putting under the microscope everyone from Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Bill Clinton, to Prince Andrew and Norwegian Princess Mette-Marit. As international media note, Epstein operated through a well-organized network and appears to have relied on his relationships with royal families. What is striking is how and to what extent Epstein benefited from his relationships with the royal family to advance personal schemes.
“Tomorrow night I’m dining at Buckingham Palace, do you want to come?” he wrote in an email to an unknown friend in September 2010. Without hesitation or restraint, he seemed comfortable sending invitations, acting as owner and host. Meanwhile, an exchange of messages with Andrew regarding dinner at Buckingham Palace has also been proven.
“What time and how many?” Andrew responds to Epstein, something that suggests how much control Epstein had over the situation. Epstein visited Balmoral and Windsor Castle, while in the case of Sandringham, he had the ability to land his private jet at a nearby RAF base of the British Royal Air Force.
Epstein case: The latest messages from the US prosecution
US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that there remains to be released “a small number of documents” and that the Department of Justice awaits the judge’s approval. However, the Department of Justice’s review of the documents has been completed, as he stated on Sunday on ABC. On Friday, he said the new batch of documents “marks the end of a comprehensive process of identifying and reviewing documents.”
However, Democrats continue to argue that the department has withheld far too many documents – possibly about two and a half million – without proper justification.
Documents released on Friday demonstrate that Epstein made payments to Lord Mandelson and his associate, Reinaldo Avila da Silva.
Bank statements show three separate payments of $25,000 with reference to Lord Mandelson, which were sent from Epstein’s accounts at JP Morgan.
The transactions took place in 2003 and 2004, when Mandelson was a Labour Party MP.
Revelations about the Norwegian princess
The correspondence of Norwegian Princess Mette-Marit with Epstein is included in the new “package” of documents released by the US Department of Justice last Friday.
Mette-Marit received harsh criticism over the weekend, as her name appears hundreds of times in Epstein’s correspondence.
The documents include emails, which date from 2011 to 2014 and reveal a tone of intimacy, as well as the fact that the princess spent four days at Epstein’s Palm Beach residence in January 2013.
She apologized on Saturday for her relationship with Epstein and characterized the contacts with him as “shameful,” according to a statement issued by the Norwegian palace.
“I showed poor judgment and I regret having contact with Epstein,” Mette-Marit stated.
“Jeffrey Epstein is responsible for his actions. I must take responsibility for not investigating Epstein’s background more thoroughly and for not realizing earlier what kind of person he was. I deeply regret this and it is a responsibility I must assume,” she further stated.
