Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was in New York when his late accuser Virginia Giuffre claimed he sexually assaulted her while there, according to new emails.
The former Duke of York has always denied any wrongdoing – and any suggestion he stayed at Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan in April 2001.
However, new documents released in the latest batch of Epstein files suggest he spent the night there after ditching a Palace aide.
It follows the allegation made by Ms Giuffre that she was made to have sex with Andrew by Epstein for a second time in New York, after a previous meeting in London.
The claims also come on the same day it was revealed that Andrew had the “full support” of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
An email sent to Epstein by royal aide David Stern in March 2011 suggests he believed Andrew still had his mother’s backing despite being linked to the disgraced paedophile, after his conviction.
Mr Stern’s email, sent on March 9 2011, read: “Theme seems to be now: PA under scrutiny for dealing with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan (but government approved!), he has full support of his Mum, only dealing with you was ‘unwise.’
At the time, Andrew was under fire for his continued association with the billionaire after photographs emerged of the pair walking in New York’s Central Park in 2010, following Epstein’s release from prison.
New emails released appear to show Andrew messaging Ms Maxwell to inform her of his itinerary for the visit.
He revealed he would be arriving in the city “around lunchtime,” and would be attending a supper but would be free before hand.
Andrew said he was then due to fly to Boston on the 10th, before returning to New York.
He wrote: “I will be free when I get back to New York on the evening of the 11th and would dearly love a bed for the night somewhere prior to taking off to Nassau on the 12th, Thursday.
“I am going via Miami. I will have staff with me, but they go back from Boston on 11th when I come back to New York. Look forward to hearing from you.”
The pair then make reference to the “71st”, otherwise known as Epstein’s mansion. Ms Maxwell wrote that any further visit there would be “considered public, as there was a huge article in the paper w/pictures after your last visit.”
The newly released documents also showed an admission from Ms Maxwell that the infamous photo of Andrew with his arm around Virginia Giuffre is real.
He has long disputed the image’s authenticity and claimed it may have been faked, but his theories have been challenged by the message released as part of the latest batch of files.
Earlier on Friday, Andrew’s ex-girlfriend, Lady Victoria Hervey, defended her former flame by saying anyone “on the scene and powerful” but not in the Epstein files is “a bit of a loser.”
Lady Victoria Hervey told LBC’s Tom Swarbrick: “It’s very hard for anyone to kind of try and imagine being in his shoes.
“But he’s a male, he’s single, he needs to date. He’s not going to be sitting in a monastery his whole life.”
When probed by Tom on the fact Donald Trump is mentioned hundreds of times in the Epstein files, she defended the US President saying: “He cut his ties with Epstein very, very early on.
“You know, the thing is, what people can see from these Epstein files, he was. He knew everybody that was very powerful.”
“So, if you were on the scene and you were powerful, to be honest, if you’re not in those files, it would be an insult because it just means that you were a bit of a loser.”
