Why Did Ex-Prince Andrew Send Photos of Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie to Jeffrey Epstein?

In the carefully staged world of royal image‑making, Christmas cards are meant to be harmless: a snowy lodge, festive smiles, a slightly awkward family photo. What they are not meant to be is evidence. Yet that is precisely what newly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files appear to have made of Prince Andrew's seasonal greetings.

According to material disclosed in the latest tranche of Epstein-related records, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — the man once formally known as HRH The Duke of York — continued to send Epstein Christmas cards in 2011 and 2012, complete with photographs of his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie. At the time, Epstein was not some murky rumour in Manhattan society; he was a registered sex offender who had pleaded guilty in 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution.

To be absolutely clear, appearing in the Epstein files does not, in itself, prove criminal wrongdoing. But it does raise sharp questions about judgement — and, in Andrew's case, about truthfulness.

Christmas Cards, Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and a Very Awkward Timeline

The cards matter because they clash squarely with Andrew's own public account. In his now notorious 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, the prince insisted that after he went to see Epstein in New York in December 2010 — the visit that produced those damning Central Park photographs — he broke off all contact. 'To this day, I never had any contact with him from that day forward,' Andrew told Emily Maitlis, presenting the trip as a final, ill-advised farewell.

The documents say otherwise. A Christmas card dated Dec. 21, 2011, sent from Andrew to Epstein, carries his personal signature and warm wishes for 'much joy and happiness at this time and for the year ahead.' It was addressed to a man who had, by then, served time and was living under the legal restrictions of a convicted sex offender.

Inside were at least three photographs of Beatrice and Eugenie, then 23 and 21. One image reportedly shows the sisters together in a winter setting: Beatrice in a silver Christmas cracker hat with ear muffs, Eugenie in a fur hat and brown scarf. Other pictures depict a snow-covered Royal Lodge, Andrew's Windsor home, and a cartoon of a man strongly resembling the prince walking four dogs towards a snowman.

A year later, on Dec. 20, 2012, another card followed. Again, Epstein received a curated glimpse into the life of the Yorks. Beatrice is shown scaling Mont Blanc on a February 2012 expedition, hand on hip in a proud mountaineering pose. Eugenie appears in high-vis gear and helmet, taking part in a Night Rider charity cycle ride through London. Sarah Ferguson, Andrew's former wife, also features in the imagery, underlining that this was not some perfunctory, photocopied royal mailout.

It was personal. Both cards were sent under Andrew's then-official styling: 'HRH The Duke of York.'

That timeline is hard to wave away. Epstein's 2008 conviction was not obscure. It was covered extensively, in the US and beyond. For Andrew to continue corresponding, sending pictures of his daughters, after that conviction — and then to tell the public, years later, that he had no further contact after 2010 — is at best a staggering lapse of judgement. At worst, it suggests that the BBC interview was not the full story.

A Royal Under Scrutiny and Calls for Testimony

Andrew has always denied the allegations of sexual misconduct linked to Epstein and his network. Like many names that appear in Epstein's orbit, he argues that presence in these files or on flight logs should not be conflated with participation in Epstein's crimes. Legally, that distinction matters.

Politically and morally, the ground is less forgiving. The Epstein scandal has become a kind of global litmus test: who knew what, when, and what did they do once they knew? On that score, Andrew's record looks increasingly bruised.

That pressure is not only coming from British commentators. Across the Atlantic, former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has urged that anyone asked to testify in the ongoing investigations around Epstein should comply — and explicitly included Andrew in that expectation.

Asked whether the prince should appear before Congress to answer questions about his ties to Epstein, Clinton, now 78, was unequivocal: 'I think everyone should testify who is asked to testify.' She and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, have already agreed to appear before a congressional committee examining Epstein's activities and connections. Both Clintons have insisted they have 'nothing to hide' and have repeatedly called for full transparency around the case.

'Get the files out: They are slow-walking it,' Hillary Clinton said, accusing the Trump administration of dragging its feet over the release of remaining documents. 'We have called for the full release of these files repeatedly. We think sunlight is the best disinfectant.'

The irony is hard to miss. A once-senior royal, who prided himself on military service and public duty, is now ducking in the half-shadows while an American political family famous for its own scandals argues for more openness.

For the palace, these latest revelations are another unwelcome reminder that the Andrew problem has not gone away, however firmly he has been pushed to the margins of public life. For Beatrice and Eugenie, whose images were apparently shared with a convicted sex offender as if nothing were amiss, it is more personal still: a stark illustration of how a father's misjudgements can ripple, years later, into their own public existence.

And for everyone else, those snowy Christmas cards serve as a small but telling window into a world where proximity to power insulated Epstein for far too long — and where some of those who orbited him are still struggling to explain why.