A recently disclosed email from 2015 contains a journalist’s assertion that a former senior royal engaged in consensual sexual activity with an employee of the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The correspondence, made public this week, shows former New York Times reporter Landon Thomas Jr. responding to Epstein, stating that the royal figure had “consensual sex” with an individual who worked for Epstein.
In the email, Thomas suggested that Epstein’s primary challenge was distancing himself from the royal, whom he identified as keeping media scrutiny alive. The journalist wrote that until Epstein addressed this connection publicly, the story would persist.
However, Thomas has since clarified that his statement about the sexual encounter was not based on firsthand knowledge but rather on media reports he had encountered at the time. He emphasized that Epstein never personally confirmed this information to him.
The royal in question has consistently denied any wrongdoing throughout the years. During a widely publicized 2019 television interview, he stated he had no recollection of meeting Virginia Giuffre, who has accused him of sexual misconduct, despite photographic evidence showing them together.
Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against the former royal in 2021, alleging she was forced to engage in sexual encounters with him while she was a minor. The case was settled out of court in 2022 for an undisclosed sum.
The former royal was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages in early 2022 and has since been removed from his royal residence. He continues to maintain his innocence regarding all allegations made against him.
