Epstein files latest: 'Invisible Man' thought to be Andrew asks Ghislaine Maxwell if she's found him 'inappropriate friends' in 2001 email

That's it for our live coverage of what has been a very busy day for the Epstein files.

Here's a round-up of the the day's biggest takeaways:

• The US justice department released the biggest drop so far of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein;
• In one of the documents, an email from the "Invisible Man" in 2001 talks about a Royal Family summer camp at Balmoral and "inappropriate friends" and whether Ghislaine Maxwell has found the sender "some new inappropriate friends";
• The man in this email and others who signed off as "A" appears to be Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor - he has always denied any wrongdoing;
• Another document showed a postcard that appeared to be sent by Jeffrey Epstein, in which he appears to say that "our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls";
• But the US justice department has since said the document is fake after receiving confirmation from the FBI;
• The department also said some of the documents it had released contained "untrue and sensationalist claims" made against Donald Trump;
• A group of photos were released showing Jeffrey Epstein and his cell in New York in the days and weeks before and after his suicide;

Our US correspondent James Matthews assessed the importance of the new release - you can watch his analysis here:

He also spoke to Epstein survivor Lisa Phillips to get her reaction to the latest release - you can see some of that interview here:

The latest Epstein files release has seen many more references to Donald Trump than previous batches.

This, of course, does not prove any wrongdoing.

But the US president has so far remained tight-lipped on the latest batch of released documents, instead spotlighting his role at the Trump Kennedy Center Honours in Washington this evening.

"At the request of the Board, and just about everybody else in America, I am hosting the event. Tell me what you think of my 'Master of Ceremony' abilities," Trump wrote on social media.

He is the first president in the history of the honours ceremony to host the event, which will recognise actor Sylvester Stallone and rock band KISS among others.

Trump is also yet to comment on the US justice department saying this evening that one of the new documents - a postcard that appears to be sent by Jeffrey Epstein - is fake (see 20:31 post).

We can now bring you another document from the latest Epstein files release.

It is an email sent on 11 June 2021 which discusses looking through Steve Bannon's iPhone as part of a review into the We Build the Wall crowdfunding campaign.

Bannon, who served as the White House's chief strategist for the first seven months of Donald Trump's first presidential term, was charged with defrauding donors by misusing funds meant for the border wall between the US and Mexico.

He resigned from Trump's administration in August 2017.

The email says: "As I was going through the images from that phone, I found an image of Trump and Ghislaine Maxwell on Bannon's phone."

The context of this email is unclear - the email addresses of the sender and recipient have been redacted, as has the email signature, and it is not specified when the alleged image was taken.

Bannon featured in several photos from the files that were released earlier this month.

We have approached his representatives for comment.

Trump was a friend of Epstein's for years, but has said they fell out in about 2004, years before Epstein was first arrested.

The US president has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein, Lisa Phillips, has said that revealing the true extent of the paedophile's abuses is for the protection of future generations.

She spoke to US correspondent James Matthews on the latest release on the files, including an email exchange with Ghislaine Maxwell and 'A', who appears to be Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. 

She also gave her view on Donald Trump's involvement in the release.

Watch Phillips' full interview here:

Earlier, the US justice department said it was looking into the validity of a newly released postcard that appeared to be sent by Jeffrey Epstein. 

In the document, addressed to Larry Nassar - the sports doctor convicted of sexually abusing Olympic athletes - he says that "our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls" (see 12:50 post).

Now, the department has said the letter is fake after receiving confirmation from the FBI.

It says the writing on the postcard does not appear to match Jeffrey Epstein's.

"This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual," the DoJ says on social media.

The department adds it will continue to release all material related to the Epstein files required by law.

Warning: This post contains references to suicide

A collection of images in the latest Epstein files release show the outside of Jeffrey Epstein's cell two days after his suicide.

It shows Epstein's ID attached to the cell door, which is covered in yellow crime scene tape, in evidence photographs

An information box attached to each photo says he was kept in Cell 220 in the 9 South area of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.

The photos were taken on 12 August 2019. Epstein took his own life on 10 August.

Other newly released documents showed Epstein after a possible suicide attempt two weeks earlier on July 23 (see 17:54 post). 

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

We reported earlier that one of the newly released documents is a postcard that appears to be sent by Jeffrey Epstein, in which he tells the recipient that "our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls" (see 12:50 post).

Now the US Justice Department has said on social media it is "currently looking into the validity" of the document.

The department also shared three pieces of information relating to the document that they say are fact, relating to its postmark, the return address written on it and when the postcard was processed.

The message was re-posted by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

It's not clear who "our president" refers to in the postcard, while there is no date on it. 

The context of the postcard is also unclear. 

Earlier today, the US Justice Department stated that some of the documents in the latest Epstein files release "contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election" (see 12:38 post).

"To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already," the statement said.

One of the documents in the release shows a report made to the FBI that was recorded on 27 October 2020.

It includes an unverified claim by a limousine driver that he overheard the US president discussing "abusing some girl" in 1995. 

The driver also mentions Trump said "Jeffrey" while on the phone during a journey to Dallas Fort Worth Airport in Texas. 

A significant part of the statement, along with the driver's identity, has been redacted.

Read the full statement here:

Trump was a friend of Epstein's for years, but has said they fell out around 2004, years before Epstein was first arrested. 

The US president has consistently denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.

While many of the documents in the latest Epstein files release are from years or decades ago, there is one showing an email that was sent on 10 November this year.

It appears to be written by a senior Metropolitan Police officer - a DCI - to the FBI, but the email addresses of the sender and recipients have been redacted.

The subject of the email is "Operation Dawnchorus".

"As you may be aware, there has been significant media reporting in the UK about (former) Prince Andrew and his activities both with REDACTED and efforts he has allegedly made to get information about her through his protection officers," the email says. 

"The UK media also appear to be in possession of certain material from the Oversight Committee, including flight manifests from when JE arrived in the UK with other passengers and further allegations around trafficking etc. 

"I am reviewing these allegations."

Here is the email in full:

Earlier this month, the Met said it would not open a criminal investigation into the claims made against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Andrew has previously denied any allegations against him. 

We've been reporting that we believe the man signing off as "A" in emails from "The Invisible Man" appears to be Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (see 15:08 post).

Now we can bring more messages exchanged between the email account thought to belong to Andrew, and Ghislaine Maxwell and Juan Esteban Ganoza, a businessman from the city of Trujillo in Peru.

In an email sent on 27 February 2002, Ganoza gives Maxwell a list of excursions that he could arrange for a trip to Peru.

This includes riding Peruvian Paso horses "either to the beach or the fields", a game of polo, renting a small plane to see the Nazca Lines and having lunch by the sea in the Peruvian capital Lima "after lots of wine and beach".

Ganoza adds: "About the girls... how old is he? I doubt it that he will find someone here, but we can try."

The following day, Maxwell forwards Ganoza's email to the account thought to be Andrew's and asks for his thoughts on the ideas.

In his response, "A" says he is "overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of the offers".

He insists that "horses and I do not mix particularly well", but that a trip to see the Lines sounds interesting.

"As for girls well I leave that entirely to you and Juan Estoban!" Andrew adds.

The reply is signed off with "Masses of love A xxx".

Ganoza has denied any meaningful connection to Epstein, saying he never attended Epstein’s gatherings or his infamous private island in the Caribbean, and that he only knew Maxwell as a friend decades ago while he lived in New York.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has previously denied any allegations against him.