Epstein files latest: Prince Edward responds - as Andrew 'pet' email revealed

Government officials are drafting legislation to strip Lord Mandelson of his peerage, the prime minister's official spokesperson has said.

The spokesperson says the government is prepared to legislate to kick Mandelson out of the House of Lords if needed.

Yesterday, the government said Mandelson should no longer be a member of the Lords and should no longer use his peerage - but that doing so would require an Act of Parliament.

The spokesperson said Sir Keir Starmer had told his cabinet this morning that the government had to go further in the Lords, "including legislatively if necessary".

Starmer also told his cabinet he was "appalled" by the revelations that have emerged over the weekend, and that Mandelson had "let the country down".

"Moving quickly in this matter is vital," Starmer told his cabinet.

A lasagne lunch with Jeffrey Epstein and her daughters five days after his release from prison.

An email in the middle of a scandal lamenting "I am now 1,000 percent being hung out to dry."

These are some of the latest revelations from the Epstein files about Sarah Ferguson. Data and forensics correspondent Tom Cheshire tells you what you need to know...

The Cabinet Office has referred how Lord Mandelson handled sensitive government information while he was a minister to the police.

Officials have handed over an assessment of how they think Lord Mandelson broke strict information handling procedures.

Paste BN understands an initial review by the Cabinet Office of documents released by the US Department of Justice has found that emails sent by Lord Mandelson to Jeffrey Epstein likely contain market sensitive information relating to the 2008 crash and official activities thereafter to stabilise the economy.

The prime minister's official spokesperson said they were cooperating fully with the police and ready to assist them in any way needed.

This email from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to Jeffrey Epstein in December 2010 has the subject "Troublesome one".

The email is from The Duke - whom Paste BN has identified as Mountbatten-Windsor - and says "Kate has agreed to a deal in London". 

Without any further context in this email chain, it's unclear who he's referring to.

Mountbatten-Windsor ends the email by telling Epstein "Wish I was still a pet in your family!"

In a statement issued on 17 October 2025, Mountbatten-Windsor reiterated that he "vigorously" denied the accusations against him. 

In an audio recording from the files, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein offers an unknown individual advice on how to approach Vladimir Putin.

This clip comes from a three-hour recording and appears to be Epstein having dinner with two men.

Who they are, the context within which the conversation took place and whether the advice was taken are unknown.

Prince Edward has called for people to "remember the victims" as he became the first royal to respond to the latest release of the Epstein files.

The brother of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who features in the files alongside his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, was asked about the Epstein files and how he was faring as he spoke at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on a panel entitled "Is Education Measured By Years Or Skills?"

Edward told CNN:

"Well, with the best will in the world. I'm not sure this is the audience that is probably the least interested in that. They all came here to listen to education, solving the future, but no, I think it's all really important always to remember the victims and who are the victims in all this."

Two new images of Jeffrey Epstein appear in the files.

They were released by the US justice department without context or details of where and when they were taken.

On today's episode of Politics at Sam and Anne's, the pair discuss the political reaction to the Epstein files across Westminster - and whether the saga has the potential to break British politics.

Watch an excerpt of today's episode

We've been bringing you new lines from the Epstein files as our team combs through the millions of pages.

One of the high-profile names to feature is Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York. Many emails exchanges between her and Epstein are in the tranche of documents released on Friday. 

In an earlier release before Christmas, an undated photograph showed her sitting on a sofa. The context around the picture is unclear, and she is seated next to a woman who has had her identity redacted.

'I am at your service. Just marry me.'

Emails in the new release show that on the evening of 30 January 2010, an account called "Sarah" told Epstein he was a "legend" and added: "I really don't have the words to describe, my love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness.

"I am at your service. Just marry me."

Paste BN believes the sender was the former duchess. There is no indication as to what the email was in response to, or any further context around the message.

In another email in September 2010, a user called "Ferg" - which Paste BN also believes to be Ferguson - asked Epstein when he was going to "employ" her.

A separate exchange shows Ferguson telling Epstein "the British press is ready to exterminate me" during a reported cash-for-access scandal in July 2010.

Ferguson then says "no woman has ever left the royal family with her head, and the [sic] cannot behead me, therefore they will discredit me".

Watch: Files reveal more Sarah Ferguson emails

Visit less than a week after Epstein's release

Separate emails in the files reveal Ferguson and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, flew to Miami to visit Epstein less than a week after he was released from prison in July 2009.

Epstein had been released two days earlier, having served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for procuring for prostitution of a girl below the age of 18.

A further email from Ferguson to Epstein confirms that she arrived in Miami with her daughters. Eugenie was 19 and Beatrice was 20. Read more on this visit in our previous post.

Ferguson's charity has announced it will close "for the foreseeable future" after the fresh revelations.

In a statement in response to the Epstein files and what they reveal about her close relationship with the sex offender, Ferguson has said: "I would never have anything to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again. I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children. It was a gigantic error of judgement."

A series of emails in the files reveals that Sarah Ferguson and her daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, flew to Miami to visit Jeffrey Epstein less than a week after he was released from prison in July 2009.

An email from an aide to Epstein on 24 July 2009 includes details about flights for "The Duchess and the girls" from Heathrow. The convicted sex offender is asked if he gives permission for the tickets to be purchased - indicating he paid for them.

Ferguson's business class ticket was $9244.16, while her daughters flew economy for $4,835.94. 

Epstein had been released from prison two days earlier, having served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for procuring for prostitution of a girl below the age of 18.

A further email from Ferguson to Epstein confirms that she arrived in Miami with her daughters. Eugenie was 19 and Beatrice was 20. 

After their arrival, Ferguson emails Epstein to ask if they are having lunch. He says they'll be having vegetable lasagna "or anything else you would like", made by a chef from Paris.

Their return flight was later confirmed in an email to Epstein from his aide.

"The Duchess' flight departs tonight at 8.05pm from JFK," they wrote.

Featuring in the Epstein files is not an indication of any wrongdoing.

In a statement in response to the Epstein files and what they reveal about her close relationship with the sex offender, Ferguson has said previously: "I would never have anything to do with Jeffrey Epstein ever again. I abhor paedophilia and any sexual abuse of children. It was a gigantic error of judgement."