The anti-monarchy group Republic has renewed calls for a police investigation into Prince Andrew following a leaked email suggesting he maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein long after claiming to have severed ties.
The Mail on Sunday reported that the Duke of York told Epstein they were “in this together” and suggested they would “play some more soon,” in an email sent the day after a photo of the prince with Virginia Giuffre was published.
The exchange reportedly took place 12 weeks after Andrew said he had ended contact with the convicted sex offender.
Republic reacted to reports to restrict Andrew from royal estate activities, including shooting parties, calling the step “nowhere near enough.”
“There needs to be a royal Epstein inquiry NOW,” the group said in a statement, urging authorities to reopen investigations into the Duke’s relationship with Epstein.
Andrew, 65, previously told the BBC’s Newsnight in 2019 that he broke off all communication with Epstein in December 2010, after the pair were photographed together in New York.
The resurfaced email has reignited scrutiny of the Duke’s past associations, which have long shadowed the royal family.