‘My Crazy
Friend’: The Royals Who Stayed Close to Epstein
Emails, texts, photos and videos show how
Jeffrey Epstein, even after becoming a convicted sex offender, burnished his
ties to royal family members from several countries and their advisers.
Michael D. Shear
By
Michael D. Shear
Reporting
from London
Feb. 5,
2026, 12:01 a.m. ET
A British ex-duchess called Jeffrey Epstein
the “brother I always wished for.” Norway’s future queen wrote “I miss my crazy
friend” after his trafficking crimes were well known. A Saudi royal court
adviser exchanged crude and knowing messages with Mr. Epstein.
“I am sure you are opening so many legs
there,” Raafat Al-Sabbagh, the adviser to Saudi Arabia’s royal court, and a
close associate of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, wrote to Mr. Epstein, who
was at his home in Florida.
There is, of course, a long and sordid history
of royals behaving badly around the world.
But the Epstein documents released on Friday
by the Justice Department uncovered fresh evidence of how some royal family
members, and those in their orbit, repeatedly shrugged off the convicted sex
offender’s sleazy reputation as they plied him with praise and made requests
for money, gifts and attention.
Mr. Epstein used his access to money and the
procurement of girls and women to build and burnish relationships with people
of immense power, status and wealth, and hundreds of the newly released texts,
emails, photos and videos show how he extended that coziness to royals and
those close to them.
He purported to pay off their debts, provided
them temporary apartments, flew them on private jets, and hosted them at his
homes. In return, some of his royal and royal-adjacent correspondents appeared
unbothered by his 2008 criminal conviction, though the newly released files do
not prove that they knew of Mr. Epstein’s other criminal activity..
“You r such a sweetheart,” said one 2012 email
to Mr. Epstein, apparently sent by Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.
In some cases, the revelations are adding to
the upheaval in the royal families, where relatives and government officials
are racing to distance themselves from those who have had uncomfortably close
contact with Mr. Epstein.
“You get the impression that he was an
extraordinarily transactional guy, purchasing influence in high places,” said
Ed Owens, a royal historian. “This was essentially Epstein using his personal
financial means to buy influence with key figures.”
He said that some members of the royal
families allowed a businesslike relationship with Mr. Epstein to become a
friendship, adding: “That’s exactly why they found Epstein such a useful friend
— precisely because he earned their trust.”
The communications between Mr. Epstein and the
royals are full of suggestive references to his pursuit of younger women. In
one email from Mr. Epstein to Norway’s crown princess he writes that he had met
two Norwegians, ages 24 and 25. “i like oslo,” he said.
“The girls are 24 & 25?” the princess
apparently replied from an account named H.K.H. Kronprinsessen, which means
H.R.H. (Her Royal Highness) Crown Princess, in Norwegian. “I like Oslo too.”
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the crown princess had “acknowledged that she has exercised poor judgment, and I agree with her.”
Mr. Epstein’s connections to politicians and
wealthy business executives have generated scandalous headlines for years, both
before and after he died by suicide in prison in 2019, at age 66, while
awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. The long list of his former
acquaintances includes President Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Bill
Gates, Elon Musk and many others. They all deny knowledge of Mr. Epstein’s
illegal activities.
The new files expand that list to members of
the Saudi royal court.
A flurry of text messages and emails between
Mr. Epstein and Mr. Al-Sabbagh mostly date to 2016 and 2017 — the years when
Prince Mohammed was rising to power and seeking to build relationships in the
United States.
Mr. Epstein appears to have maintained a warm
relationship with Mr. Al-Sabbagh, offering to connect him to people in Silicon
Valley and elsewhere. He sent greetings on the Muslim holiday of Eid and in the
holy month of Ramadan and proffered advice to “your boss” on politics, business
and oil markets. In turn, Mr. Al-Sabbagh asked for Mr. Epstein’s insight on
Donald Trump’s campaign for president.
Over several months in 2016, Mr. Epstein
eagerly and repeatedly pressed Mr. Al-Sabbagh to meet his “boss,” an apparent
reference to Prince Mohammed, who was visiting the United States at the time.
When Mr. Epstein flew to Saudi Arabia in November 2016 for a trip, he received
assistance from “royal protocol” — an arm of the government that handles
logistics for visitors meeting senior royals.
“Did you need me to book the Four Season for
you in Riyadh? Or is the king taking care of it?!” Mr. Epstein’s assistant
asked him, as she arranged his itinerary. Mr. Epstein displayed a photograph of
himself with Prince Mohammed in his home, although it is unclear when and where
their meeting occurred.
From their correspondence, it seems clear that
Mr. Al-Sabbagh was aware of Mr. Epstein’s reputation. In one message, Mr.
Al-Sabbagh shared a news article about a “Russian beauty queen” who had gone to
Dubai to “sell her virginity for $13,000.”
“Finally you send me something worthwhile,”
Mr. Epstein replied.
The Saudi government’s Center for
International Communication, which handles queries from news organizations, did
not respond to a request for comment, nor did Mr. Al-Sabbagh.
In Britain, the royal family has been dealing
for years with the repercussions of Mr. Epstein’s friendship with Andrew
Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew and the Duke of York. He
was stripped of his titles in September by his brother, King Charles III.
After images were released this weekend
showing Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor crouching over a woman lying on a floor, Prime
Minister Keir Starmer of Britain called for him to testify to Congress about
Mr. Epstein.
The files also include newly revealed email
correspondence between Mr. Epstein and Sarah Ferguson, Mr.
Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife and the one-time Duchess of York, after Mr.
Epstein’s 2008 conviction for sex offenses.
A 2009 email reveals that Mr. Epstein likely
paid for flights for “the Duchess and the girls from Heathrow to Miami,” an
apparent reference to travel for Ms. Ferguson and her daughters, Princess
Eugenie and Princess Beatrice. In 2010, in another email exchange, Ms. Ferguson
called him “a legend,” adding, “I really don’t have the words to describe my
love, gratitude for your generosity and kindness. Xx I am at your service. Just
marry me.”
The emails not only document a close
relationship but also suggest that Mr. Epstein hoped the duchess would use her
influence to help improve his public image. In one email, Mr. Epstein suggests
that Ms. Ferguson release a statement asserting that he was “not a pedo.”
There is no evidence that she did so.
Her representatives did not respond to
requests for comment this week. Her charity, Sarah’s Trust, announced on
Tuesday that it is closing down operations.
With some royal families, as with other
prominent people, the documents released undercut previous public explanations
about the extent of the relationships with Mr. Epstein. Ms. Ferguson sent him
email months after admitting in 2011 that he had helped pay off her debts and
apologizing for her “terrible error of judgment” in “having anything to do with
Jeffrey Epstein.”
The newly released files also suggest that he
and Princess Mette-Marit were closer than previously reported. The emails that
appear to be from the crown princess, which are often signed “Mm” and “Mette
m,” include discussions of shopping trips, book recommendations, vacations,
illnesses and obligations.
The princess, who is set to become queen when
her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, ascends to the throne, said in a statement on
Monday that she took “responsibility for not having investigated Epstein’s
background more thoroughly” and that she regretted “having had any contact with
Epstein.” She said Mr. Epstein’s victims had her “deep sympathy and
solidarity.”
A spokeswoman for the Norwegian royal family
declined to comment further.
The latest revelations are unwelcome for a
royal family that has already been rocked by scandal. The release of the
friendly emails between the crown princess and Mr. Epstein came just days
before her son by a prior marriage began standing trial in a rape case on
Tuesday.
Amelia Nierenberg and Megan Specia contributed
reporting
Michael D. Shear is a senior Times
correspondent covering British politics and culture, and diplomacy around the
world.
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