'Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?': New Epstein documents reveal chilling emails

Among the newly released documents is a series of emails exchanged between Ghislaine Maxwell and an individual who signed off as “A” and used the alias “The Invisible Man.” The correspondence, dating back to August 2001, appears to place the sender at Balmoral, the Scottish estate of the British royal family. In one email, “A” writes to Maxwell: “I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family.” He follows it with a reference to Los Angeles and asks, “Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?” before suggesting a potential holiday between 25 August and 2 September, adding that he hoped to go “somewhere hot and sunny with some fun people” before returning to work commitments in the autumn.

Maxwell responds cautiously, telling him, “So sorry to disappoint you; however, the truth must be told. I have only been able to find appropriate friends.” The exchange continues with “A” replying “Distraught!” and describing personal upheaval following the loss of his valet and his departure from the Royal Navy, which he refers to as the “RN”. He writes that his life is “in turmoil” and asks Maxwell for advice on how to “get my mind back on track,” signing off affectionately and adding: “See you real soon… I hope if you are coming over.” The message ends with the sign-off “A xxx”.

Prince Andrew, whose full name is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, left the Royal Navy in 2001. While the emails do not explicitly identify the sender, the details contained within them, including the reference to Balmoral, the timing, and the signature, have led to widespread speculation about his identity. There is no suggestion that the emails themselves indicate criminal wrongdoing.

‘Two-legged sightseeing’: Emails referencing travel and girls

Further correspondence from early 2002 appears to show Maxwell involved in arranging travel and social activities for “The Invisible Man,” including a proposed trip to Peru. In a February 2002 exchange, Maxwell forwards messages from a contact, Juan Estoban Ganoza, outlining possible sightseeing plans such as visiting the Nazca Lines. In one relayed email, Ganoza asks bluntly: “About the girls… how old is he?” In response, “The Invisible Man” tells Maxwell: “As for girls, well, I leave that entirely to you and Juan Estoban!”

A follow-up message from Maxwell’s Peruvian contact expands on the plans, referring to “some sightseeing, some 2-legged sightseeing (read intelligent, pretty fun, and from good families)” and assuring Maxwell that discretion would be maintained. The message adds that the individual involved did not want to read about the trip in the press or see reports about whom he met. Prince Andrew undertook an official visit to Peru in March 2002, during which he was photographed in Lima, including with firefighters. Again, there is no suggestion in the released emails of criminal conduct, though the language used has drawn renewed scrutiny given Maxwell’s later conviction for sex trafficking-related offences. Buckingham Palace and Mountbatten-Windsor have been approached for comment.

Trump responds as Epstein files reference him repeatedly

The latest release of nearly 30,000 additional pages of Epstein-related documents also contains numerous references to Donald Trump, prompting the US president to publicly respond for the first time since the Justice Department began releasing the material. Speaking at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, Trump expressed concern that individuals who had “innocently met” Epstein could see their reputations damaged. “Everybody was friendly with this guy,” Trump said, adding that he did not like seeing photographs of former President Bill Clinton and others resurfacing. “You ruin the reputation of somebody,” he said, arguing that being pictured with Epstein did not imply wrongdoing.

However, the documents include an internal email from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, dated 7 January 2020, which states that flight records showed Trump travelling on Epstein’s private jet more frequently than previously reported. According to the email, Trump is listed as a passenger on at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996, including several journeys on which Maxwell was also present. The records indicate that Trump travelled at various times with Marla Maples, his daughter Tiffany, and his son Eric. One flight allegedly listed only Trump and Epstein as passengers; another included Epstein, Trump, and a 20-year-old woman whose name was redacted.

The document also notes that two women listed on separate flights would have been potential witnesses in the case against Maxwell. There is no indication in the files that these flights involved criminal activity, and inclusion in the documents does not imply guilt. In a statement accompanying the release, the Department of Justice said some material includes “untrue and sensationalist claims” submitted to the FBI shortly before the 2020 US election. The department stated that allegations against Trump were “unfounded and false” and said that, had they been credible, they would have already been used against him.

Fake Epstein jail video was also included, later removed

Included in the latest batch of files released overnight by the US Department of Justice was a now-deleted video that falsely appeared to show Jeffrey Epstein attempting to take his own life inside his prison cell. The 12-second clip, time-stamped 4.29 am on 10 August 2019, was uploaded without context and briefly circulated before being taken down.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York at 6.30 am that morning, with his death later ruled a suicide. However, a separate document released alongside the files revealed that the video was not authentic. Investigators flagged it as a years-old fake clip that had previously circulated on the internet message board 4chan and was later promoted by a Florida-based conspiracy theorist.

Several inconsistencies were noted, including the prison cell door in the video, which does not match Epstein’s actual cell. A Trump administration official also confirmed to the New York Post that the footage was fake and had been available on YouTube for years before resurfacing in the DOJ release. The episode has added to concerns around the uncontextualised release of thousands of pages of Epstein-related material. As the justice department continues to make documents public without accompanying explanations, it underscores the difficulty of verifying claims and reinforces that inclusion in the files does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing.