Epstein files: The key findings so far
As journalists continue to pore over the millions of documents released in the Epstein files, here are the key findings so far about some of the most powerful people named.
Wednesday 4 February 2026 14:12, UK
More than three million pages related to Jeffrey Epstein have been made public in the latest release by the US Department of Justice.
Email exchanges, as well as more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, are included.
Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in August 2019 shortly after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges.
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High-profile figures have been named in the latest tranche of documents - but that alone does not suggest wrongdoing.
Read on for the key points concerning:
• Peter Mandelson
• Sarah Ferguson
• Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
• Donald Trump
• Jeffrey Epstein
• Ghislaine Maxwell
Lord Peter Mandelson
Peter Mandelson, the former UK ambassador to Washington, is under intense pressure over his links to Epstein.
He resigned from the Labour Party to avoid causing "further embarrassment" - and also succumbed to pressure on 3 February to step down from the House of Lords.
Latest documents suggest Epstein paid Mandelson $75,000 (£55,000) between 2003 and 2004.
Apparent bank statements record three payments of $25,000, two of which went to accounts apparently naming Mandelson as the holder, with the other going to his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, listing Mandelson as a beneficiary.
It's unclear if the payments ever made it to the accounts, and Mandelson said he had "no record and recollection of ever receiving these sums" and would be doing his own investigations.
Lord Mandelson has also said in a statement: "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."
Underwear photos
Images in the latest file drop also show Mandelson in his underwear, talking to a woman wearing a bathrobe.
There are several versions of essentially the same image
A spokesperson for Lord Mandelson told Paste BN: "No one can say who or where the photo was taken.
"Lord Mandelson has absolutely no idea or indeed whether it has any connection to Epstein at all."
Paste BN investigations have determined these pictures were taken at Epstein's Paris apartment.
Epstein 'sent course money to Mandelson's husband'
In 2009, Epstein appears to have sent thousands of pounds to Lord Mandelson's husband to help pay for osteopathy course fees.
Mr Avila da Silva sent Epstein an email in September that year about "my osteo course expenses, incl fee, anatomical models, lap top if you can help me with this".
He said the annual fee was £3,225 and thanked Epstein for "anything you can help me with".
Epstein replied the same day: "I will wire your loan amount immediated'y. (sic)"
In a later email, Mr Avila da Silva followed up "regarding the £10,000 with my personal bank details" and asked "if this amount includes my school fees or if the amount of £3,225 (school fee) will be sent directly to the school itself".
Epstein told him: "includedd. (sic)"
Mr Avila da Silva later sent him another message confirming receipt of the cash: "Just a brief note to thank you for the money which arrived in my account this morning."
Epstein 'tipped off' about EU bailout
Lord Mandelson may have also given Epstein advance notice of a €500bn EU bank bailout in 2010 - something that could possibly have been used by someone to gain an advantage in the financial markets
He was emailed by Epstein, who wrote: "Sources tell me 500 b euro bailout , almost complete (sic)."
He then appears to reply: "Sd be announced tonight".
Epstein then asks if he is home, to which Mandelson replies: "Just leaving No10... will call."
Lord Mandelson was business secretary and de-facto deputy prime minister at the time.
The €500bn deal was approved the next day as governments tried to pull the euro currency out of a crisis.
Bankers' bonuses policy
Other emails appear to show Lord Mandelson telling Epstein he was "trying hard" to change policy on bankers' bonuses at his request. This was just three months after the American had given money to his husband.
In emails in December 2009, Lord Mandelson appears to agree to try to change government policy on taxing the bonuses.
Coming 18 months after the financial crash and subsequent state rescue of banks, the subject was highly contentious.
On 9 December 2009, then chancellor Alistair Darling announced a 50% "super tax" on bonuses, intended to prevent pay being inflated by taxpayer-funded bailouts.
In an email exchange on 15 December, Epstein asked Lord Mandelson if the policy could be changed: "any [sic] real chance of making the tax only on the cash portion of the bankers bonus," he wrote.
Lord Mandelson replied: "Trying hard to amend as I explained to Jes last night. Treasury digging in but I am on case."
Epstein responds: "let me know before jes please,,".
"Ok. They are not being helpful..." is the reply.
"they jpm. or they treasury," asks Epstein.
"Treasury" Mandelson replied.
"Jes" may be a reference to Jes Staley, the former Barclays boss, who in 2009 was head of JP Morgan's investment bank and a close associate of Epstein's.
The Metropolitan Police has said it's received "a number of reports relating to alleged misconduct in a public office" following the release of these latest files.
Sarah Ferguson
'I am at your service. Just marry me.'
Sarah Ferguson, the ex-wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, is named a number of times in the latest release of Epstein files. Her charity has announced it will close "for the foreseeable future" after the fresh revelations.
Many of the emails apparently from Ferguson were sent after Epstein was convicted in 2008 for prostituting minors.
Ferguson has also previously 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 judgment."
On 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."
There is no indication as to what the email was in response to, or any further context around the message - and again, there is no presumption of wrongdoing.
In another email in September 2010, a user called "Ferg" 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".
Princesses 'visited Epstein days after jail release'
Sarah 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.
An email from an aide to Epstein on 24 July includes details of flights for "the Duchess and the girls" from Heathrow.
Epstein is asked if he gives permission for the tickets to be purchased - indicating he paid for them. Ferguson's business class ticket was $9,244.16, while her daughters flew economy for $4,835.94.
The paedophile had been released from prison two days earlier, having served 13 months of an 18-month sentence for procuring for prostitution 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.
Their return flight was later confirmed in an email to Epstein from an aide.
"The Duchess' flight departs tonight at 8.05pm from JFK," they wrote.
A reminder again that just being mentioned or pictured in the files does not imply wrongdoing.
'The brother I have always wished for'
In an email on 3 August 2009, Ferguson thanked Epstein for being "the brother I have always wished for" and told him she had "never been more touched by a friend's kindness than your compliment to me in front of my girls".
In another, she called him "my dear spectacular and special friend", before adding "you are a legend, and I am so proud of you".
Ferguson also called Epstein her "supreme friend" in an email revealed last year that was apparently sent after she claimed to have cut contact with him.
It led to her being dropped as patron or ambassador of several charities. At the time, her spokesman said it had been sent "in the context of advice the duchess was given to try to assuage Epstein and his threats".
'Only friends to get to Andrew' - and baby congrats
In an email from 21 September 2011, Ferguson appears to write: "Don't know if you are still on this bbm (Blackberry Messenger) but heard from The Duke that you have had a baby boy.
"Even though you never kept in touch, I still am here with love, friendship and congratualtions (sic) on your baby boy. Sarah xx."
It's never been confirmed that Epstein had children.
Ferguson followed up her email with a message saying: "You have disappeared.
"I did not even know you were having a baby. It was soooo crystal clear to me that you were only friends with me to get to Andrew. And that really hurt me deeeply (sic). More than you will know."
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
Andrew pictured on all fours above a woman
Three images from the latest tranche of documents appear to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on all fours over a woman lying on the floor.
In two of the pictures, he appears to be touching the woman's stomach, while the other shows him looking straight at the camera.
The photos appear without explanation, date, or further context. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing.
Epstein promised 'lots of privacy' at Palace
Emails suggest Andrew invited Epstein to Buckingham Palace in September 2010 and promised "lots of privacy".
After Epstein requested "private time", Andrew told him "alternatively we should have dinner at Buckingham Palace and lots of privacy".
In a statement on 17 October 2025, Andrew reiterated that he "vigorously" denies all the accusations against him.
'Beautiful Russian given Andrew's email'
In an email exchange in August 2010, Epstein tells Andrew he had "a friend who I think you might enjoy having dinner with" and disclosed the dates she would be in London.
Epstein says she is 26, Russian, "beautiful, trustworthy and yes she has your email".
Second woman alleges encounter with Andrew - report
A second woman has made allegations of a sexual encounter with Andrew after being sent to the UK by Epstein.
The woman's lawyer told the BBC the encounter allegedly took place at the Royal Lodge in 2010, when the woman was in her 20s, and was given a tour of Buckingham Palace and tea after spending the night with Andrew.
It's understood Buckingham Palace - which records the names of tour guests - cannot corroborate the claims without breaching her anonymity.
Paste BN has approached Andrew for comment on the latest reported accusations.
Read more from Paste BN:
Andrew and Mandelson photos taken in Epstein's homes
Why are we not talking about Trump in Epstein files?
Donald Trump
A search for "Trump" in the files returns 5,176 results, with more than 38,000 mentions of his name.
There are interview notes with Epstein survivors who name Donald Trump, including references to Mar-a-Lago, but there is no allegation of wrongdoing by the US president.
A trove of released emails also show that Epstein and others shared news articles about Trump, commented on his politics and commented on him and his family.
There is also a spreadsheet summary of unverified tips submitted to the FBI. This has been widely circulated online and contains graphic descriptions of abuse.
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The complaints are unsubstantiated and were made over an unspecified timeframe. Names of other high-profile politicians and celebrities also feature in the list.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said after the release of the files that the FBI fielded "hundreds of calls" about prominent individuals that were "quickly determined to not be credible".
Mr Trump was also named in documents released last year, including in flight logs for Epstein's private plane between 1993 and 1997.
He has consistently denied any wrongdoing, and simply being mentioned in the records is not a sign of wrongdoing.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
Epstein asked: 'Do you think you're the devil?'
New footage released in the files shows Epstein facing questions in a sit-down interview.
In one part of the footage, the interviewer asks him if his money is "dirty money", which he denies.
When pressed on why not, the convicted sex offender says: "Because I earned it."
Put to him that his wealth was earned by "advising the worst people in the world that do enormous bad things", Epstein says that "ethics is always a complicated subject", before then claiming he donated money to help try to eradicate polio in India and Pakistan.
Epstein is then asked if those receiving his donations knew where the money came from, leading to this exchange:
Epstein: I think if you told them the devil himself said 'I'm going to exchange some dollars for your child's life'...
Interviewer: Do you think you're the devil himself?
Epstein: No, but I do have a good mirror.
Interviewer: It's a serious question. Do you think you're the devil himself?
Epstein: I don't know. Why would you say that?
Interviewer: Because you have all the attributes -
Epstein: No, the devil scares me.
The interviewer doesn't appear on screen but is believed to be Steve Bannon, Donald Trump's former chief strategist.
It's unclear when or where the interview was filmed, who filmed it, or why Bannon was speaking to Epstein.
Bannon's possible appearance in the files does not imply any wrongdoing.
Maxwell's mugshot
Among the trove of files released by the US justice department is a police booking intake form for Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former girlfriend who is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking.
The intake form includes pictures of Maxwell in an orange jumpsuit, with the date of arrest listed as 2 July 2020.
Maxwell appealed against her conviction to the US Supreme Court in October, but it refused to hear her case.