Epstein files latest: Legal letter claims Andrew and Epstein had threesome with a stripper

Before we go, we'll leave you with this round-up of the pictures released in the latest Epstein files drop.

The latest file release includes an email by Ghislaine Maxwell, that contains a "draft statement" in which she defends herself against allegations of abuse by an unidentified woman.

It appears the redacted name is Virginia Giuffre, who also accused Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of sexual abuse. It is not certain that it is Giuffre.

Maxwell's statements in the email, which she wrote on 10 January 2015, appear to confirm the circumstances of the picture that was taken of Giuffre and Andrew.

Maxwell wrote:

"In 2001 I was in London when [redacted] met a number of friends of mine including Prince Andrew. A photograph was taken as I imagine she wanted to show it to friends and family."

Giuffre had filed a civil defamation claim against Epstein's ex-girlfriend and long-time associate, which was filed in 2015 and settled two years later.

Andrew paid a financial settlement to Giuffre in 2022 after she alleged that she had been trafficked by Epstein and that Andrew had sex with her when she was 17.

Maxwell's account throws into question Andrew's claim from 2019 that he could not have been in that photo as he was at Pizza Express in Woking at the time.

The former prince has vigorously denied any accusations against him with relation to Epstein and says he never met Giuffre, who died by suicide last April.

Paste BN has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for comment.

Bill and Hillary Clinton continue to wrangle with Republicans over the format of their upcoming testimony in the US House of Representatives' Epstein probe, our US partner network NBC News reports.

The pair reached an agreement to speak out this month, as they're looking to avoid a vote that could hold them in contempt after they initially declined to testify.

But it remains to be seen whether the public will get to see the testimony. 

The Clintons' legal team has pushed for the pair to appear in a public hearing, according to the letter in which they offered to testify, seen by NBC.

The Republican chair of the Oversight Committee, James Comer, said the couple would appear in a recorded deposition behind closed doors, however.

Hillary Clinton spokesman Nick Merrill responded on X, saying: "At the 11th hour, James Comer asked for a camera, that's fine. He can have 1,000 cameras. The Clintons will do this publicly." 

Comer said last month: "No one's accusing the Clintons of any wrongdoing. We just have questions."

As a reminder, being named in the files is not a sign of wrongdoing. Neither has been accused of anything.

After leaving office in the early 2000s, Bill Clinton flew on Epstein's plane several times and the files also include several pictures of the former president.

In his 2024 memoir Citizen: My Life After the White House, he wrote the flight allowed him to visit the work of my foundation and that he wished he had never met Epstein.

Royal correspondent Laura Bundock has summarised what new information about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been included in this latest files release.

Notably, it has also once more fuelled calls for Andrew to testify in Jeffrey Epstein's native country, the US.

The former prince has vigorously denied any accusations against him with relation to Epstein.

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

If you're just joining or need to catch up, our data and forensics correspondent Tom Cheshire has summed up some of the key findings from the latest release of Epstein files.

Bill Gates has said he was "foolish" to spend any time with Jeffrey Epstein, that he regrets ever knowing him and dismissed an email in the latest files release as "false".

The fallout from this latest Epstein files release and Jeffrey Epstein's ties to prominent figures has made headlines around the world, which haven't faded over the past 24 hours.

In the UK, newspaper front pages prominently featured how new revelations about Peter Mandelson, the former Labour politician and ambassador to the US, have affected the government.

This has also made a splash in foreign media, which have also reflected more widely on what the release has revealed about "Epstein's 'web" (Corriere della Sera, Italy), specifically in Europe.

Here's a rundown of some of the international coverage:

"The 'Prince of Darkness' becomes a threat to Prime Minister Starmer."

- Der Spiegel, Germany 

"The Epstein case is described internally as the definitive blow to [Mandelson's] legacy. Opinions from inside the government indicate that Mandelson should not remain in public life, and his resignation is interpreted as an attempt to avoid harsher legal punishments and 'further embarrassment'." 

- O Globo, Brazil

"The former prince, the former lord, the former banker... The Epstein scandal explodes at the pillars of power in the United Kingdom" 

- El Mundo, Spain 

"A rare royal apology, resignations and allegations of leaked government intel: The new release of Epstein documents has provoked outrage and a demand for answers in Europe over ties between prominent figures and the late sex offender." 

- NBC News, US

"Epstein affair: Shockwaves in Europe following new revelations. The links between political and economic figures and the sexual predator have led some of them to resign. 

- Le Monde, France

An email by Elon Musk to Jeffrey Epstein from the latest files release has appeared on a bus stop ad in London.

The cited email was written on 25 November 2012 in response to an email by Epstein, who asked Musk how many people his party would be "for the heli to island".

"Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?" Musk responded.

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

In late September last year, after newly released Epstein files showed his name or interactions in documents, Musk wrote on X: "This is false."

The ad has been taken out by British campaign group Everyone Hates Elon. It was formed last year after Musk briefly joined the Trump administration.

The group had put up several anti-Musk ads in the UK prior to that.

It also put up another poster, which is directed more generally at billionaires.

Donald Trump and Bill Gates are also pictured.

Trump was previously friends with Epstein but said he fell out with him and has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding his crimes.

In December, his spokesperson said: "The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump Administration has done more for Epstein's victims than Democrats ever have."

Gates has admitted that Epstein joined him for "several dinners", telling CNN in 2021 that he had been hoping Epstein's contacts could help him raise money for global health causes. 

"It was a huge mistake to spend time with him, to give him the credibility of being there," Gates said.

He did not give any timeframe for the meetings, although US media have said they were between 2011 and 2014.

Another significant update to bring you now from the fallout around Peter Mandelson.

Sir Keir Starmer will be forced to give files relating to his appointment as the UK's ambassador to the US over to parliament's intelligence committee after a rebellion by his own MPs.

Previously, ministers had insisted that information relating to national security or international relations would not be published.

Read more in our Politics Hub here...

Several new pictures have been unearthed over the past few days as journalists around the world comb through this latest Epstein files release.

They provide new insights into the universe of the late sex offender and those that were rubbing shoulders with him.

As usual with the US justice department's releases, no context is provided alongside the pictures. Featuring in the files is not an indication of any wrongdoing.

Among the pictures were several that showed Jeffrey Epstein himself.

There was also a new picture from inside his prison cell.

Peter Mandelson also featured. He is facing a criminal investigation into allegations that he leaked market-sensitive information from Downing Street to Epstein over documents from the latest release.

He has said: "I was wrong to believe Epstein following his conviction and to continue my association with him afterwards. I apologise unequivocally for doing so to the women and girls who suffered."

Previously unknown pictures included a series showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with an unidentified woman. The former prince has vigorously denied any accusations against him with relation to Epstein.

Hollywood star Woody Allen was also seen in several pictures.

In an interview with The Sunday Times in September last year - when asked if he regretted socialising with Epstein - Allen responded by noting: "Well, I'm a writer, so I don't get put off… Those dinners were fascinating, and when it was all uncovered, it becomes interesting to a writer…"

Allen said he'd been to dinner at Epstein's home but suggested he was unaware of the nature of his crimes. 

"He told us he'd been in jail and that he had been - I can't remember the word - but that he'd been falsely put in jail in some way." 

US Democrats have threatened to make Donald Trump testify in the House of Representatives on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein once his term ends, our US partner network NBC News reports.

Ted Lieu, a Californian congressman, told NBC the Democrats were "absolutely going to have Donald Trump testify under oath" once they take back power.

The party could regain the majority in the chamber from the Republicans in the upcoming midterms this year.

Many Democrats pointed to the Republicans forcing Bill and Hillary Clinton to testify in the Epstein probe.

"It does set a precedent, and we will follow it... Donald Trump, all of his kids. Everybody," Maxwell Frost, a representative for Florida, said.

In a statement to NBC News, the White House brushed Democrats' warnings aside, saying Trump was "working night and day to deliver results for the American people".

Trump was previously friends with Epstein but said he fell out with him and has consistently denied any wrongdoing regarding his crimes. Being named in the files does not indicate any wrongdoing.

In December, his spokesperson said: "The Democrat hoax against President Trump has been repeatedly debunked and the Trump Administration has done more for Epstein's victims than Democrats ever have."