Epstein files email reveal 'A' at 'Balmoral' sought 'inappropriate friends' from Ghislaine Maxwell

Someone who referred to themselves as "A" at "Balmoral" emailed convicted child sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001, asking if she had found them "some new inappropriate friends", the latest Epstein files document dump has revealed.

The US Justice Department on Tuesday released the latest tranche of documents from investigations into Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted child sex offender, and Maxwell, his main collaborator.

Among the thousands of papers were emails sent to Maxwell from someone who signed off as "A" and claimed to be at "Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family".

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a brother to King Charles III, is a known friend of both Epstein and Maxwell, and has spent dozens of summers at Scotland's Balmoral Castle, a favourite holiday residence of the British royal family.

In the email, sent on August 16, 2001, "A" complains of being "totally exhausted at the end of each day".

Later, they ask: "How's LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?"

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor has faced allegations of sexual abuse linked to Epstein for several years. He denies any wrongdoing.

In the email, Maxwell then replies to "A": "So sorry to disappoint you, however the truth must be told. I have only been able to find appropriate friends."

Two days later, "A" emails Maxwell again, complaining their valet has died and their "whole life is in turmoil".

A valet is a historical term referring to a male servant who organises the wardrobe and other affairs of a wealthy male employer.

"A's" email reads: "You probably wouldn't know but I lost my valet on Thursday. He died in his sleep. He had been with me since I was two. I am a little off balance as not only has my office been restructured, I have left the RN and now my whole life is in turmoil as I have no one to look after me."

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor left the Royal Navy (RN) in July 2001 — a month before these emails were sent.

The latest set of Epstein files documents also includes an email chain involving "A", Maxwell and a man named Juan Esteban Ganoza, which dates to February 2002.

The correspondence focuses on the potential for "A", who is also referred to as "Andrew" in one email, to visit Peru.

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor travelled to the country the next month.

In one email, Maxwell asks Mr Esteban Ganoza if he can organise some "two-legged sightseeing" for "A", which she specifies should be "intelligent, pretty, fun and from good families".

"I know I can rely on you to show him a wonderful time and that you will only introduce him to friends that you can trust and rely on to be friendly and discreet and fun," Maxwell's email to Mr Esteban Ganoza reads.

Maxwell subsequently forwards her correspondence to "A", who replies, saying they are "overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the offers that are being made for me".

Later, "A" writes: "As for girls well I leave that entirely to you and Juan Estoban! (sic)"

Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles earlier this year.

The former prince has been described as a close friend of Epstein's between 1999 and 2008.

Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in Western Australia earlier this year, had alleged she was trafficked by Epstein to Mr Mountbatten-Windsor as a teenager, and that the then-Duke of York had sexually abused her.

He denies any wrongdoing. He stepped back from royal duties in 2019 amid a deluge of public pressure, after a disastrous interview with the BBC's Newsnight program, in which he maintained his innocence in the face of those allegations.

In October, Ms Giuffre's posthumously released memoir went on sale. In it, she alleged Mr Mountbatten-Windsor "believed having sex with me was his birthright".

She claimed she met the former prince on multiple occasions, including at an orgy on Epstein's private island.

The latest documents from the Epstein files released on Tuesday also include a request from authorities in the United States, which was sent to counterparts in the United Kingdom, for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to submit to voluntary questioning relating to their investigations into Epstein and another high-profile convicted child sex offender, Canadian Peter Nygard.

While Mr Mountbatten-Windsor's links to Epstein are well-known, this is the first time he has been formally connected to Nygard, who is currently serving an 11-year jail sentence for sexually assaulting four women, including one who was aged 16 at the time of the attack.

Nygard was jailed by a Toronto court last year, but he is also facing trials in Montreal and Winnipeg over alleged sex crimes, and New York, where he is accused of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy, among other offences.

The document from US authorities was dated April 2020, which was before Nygard was convicted.

It said their probe was focused on the disgraced fashion mogul's "involvement in an international sex trafficking ring victimising adult women and minor girls".

It continued: "The investigation concerns, among other things, allegations of sex trafficking at various locations inside and outside the United States, including Nygard's estate in Lyford Cay, Bahamas, referred to as 'Nygard Cay'."

Later, it read: "The investigation has revealed that, on at least one occasion, Prince Andrew travelled to Nygard Cay in the Bahamas, a location where Nygard is believed to have trafficked minor and adult female victims. US authorities seek to question Prince Andrew regarding his visit(s) to Nygard Cay during the time period under investigation, and other information he may have about Peter Nygard and related individuals."

The document also makes it clear that Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, who had not yet been stripped of his royal titles at the time the document was written, was "not presently a target of this investigation" and that US authorities "have not, to date, collected evidence that he committed any crime under US law".

The US Justice Department is expected to continue releasing the documents that form the Epstein files in the coming weeks.