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Epstein files: Email appears to contradict Andrew's claims about photo with accuser

February 05, 2026 at 01:40

An email seemingly sent by Ghislaine Maxwell appears to contradict claims by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor that a photograph of him with his sexual abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre is not real.

Andrew has questioned the authenticity of the image, which shows him with his arm around Ms Giuffre. The former Duke of York claimed in 2019 that he could not have been in the photo as he was at a Pizza Express in Woking at the time.

However, an email from Maxwell to Jeffrey Epstein, part of the latest files release by the US Department of Justice, appears to confirm the circumstances of the picture.

Dated 10 January 2015, the email contains a "draft statement" in which Maxwell defends herself against allegations of abuse by an unidentified woman.

The name of the woman has been redacted, but - while it cannot be certain - the details indicate it is Ms Giuffre.

Maxwell wrote: "In 2001 I was in London when [redacted] met a number of friends of mine including Prince Andrew. A photograph was taken as I imagine she wanted to show it to friends and family."

The family of Ms Giuffre said in a statement that the emails "vindicated" her.

Sky News has reached out to Andrew for comment.

Tap here to see the redacted email in full

Ms Giuffre, who died by suicide last April, alleged Andrew had sex with her when she was 17 and claimed she had been trafficked by Epstein.

Andrew has always denied the claim and reached an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre in 2022, which contained no admission of liability or apology.

In 2015, Ms Giuffre filed a civil defamation claim against Maxwell, Epstein's ex-girlfriend and long-time associate, which was settled two years later.

Alleged threesome with stripper

A separate document contained in the latest Epstein files release claims Andrew and Epstein engaged in a threesome with an exotic dancer.

A legal letter from 23 March 2011 alleges Epstein introduced the dancer to the former prince.

The men "then told my client they wanted to have a threesome" and they "prevailed up her to engage in various sex acts".

A later section of the letter refers to the men "satisfying themselves".

Sky News has approached Andrew for a response to this specific claim.

He has vigorously denied any accusations against him related to Epstein and his crimes.

He said in 2019 he regretted his "ill-judged association" with Epstein and sympathises with everyone affected.

Earlier this week, Andrew moved out of Royal Lodge to a house on Sandringham Estate, believed to be temporary accommodation ahead of a permanent move to Norfolk.

Peter Mandelson, another high-profile British figure named in the latest in the latest tranche of documents, is the subject of a Metropolitan Police investigation over claims he leaked highly sensitive information to Epstein while in public office.

Sir Keir Starmer will be forced to publish files about his decision to appoint him as the UK's US ambassador after Labour backbenchers forced a government climbdown on Wednesday.

Mandelson-Epstein files: Keir Starmer may be facing his very own Profumo scandal

February 05, 2026 at 02:17

Is the Mandelson-Epstein crisis Sir Keir Starmer's Profumo scandal?

Both involved sex, call girls, lurid revelations and a police investigation.

Tap here for the latest on the Epstein files

The Profumo scandal brought down Tory prime minister Harold Macmillan in the early 1960s.

Secretary of state for war John Profumo had an affair with call girl Christine Keeler, who was also involved with a Soviet naval attache.

Profumo lied to parliament about his affair, Macmillan's handling of the crisis was seen as hopeless - and he failed to confront Profumo about the affair.

Months later, Macmillan was gone. Could it happen again?

Now, after an excruciating Prime Minister's Questions, followed by a chaotic Commons showdown on Mandelson, senior MPs are predicting the current scandal will bring down Starmer.

'It's absolutely inevitable'

"The Profumo affair brought down Harold Macmillan," SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn told Sky News. "This will bring down Keir Starmer.

"It's absolutely inevitable. Today he chose to be clear, and revealed to the nation what he knew and when. And in doing so he showed a clear lack of judgement, which has broken trust with the people of these isles.

"That's unforgivable for a prime minister, and it's ultimately going to lead to his departure from No 10."

But Flynn isn't alone with his astonishing prediction. His ally Liz Saville-Roberts, Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader, told Sky News: "A number of people are comparing this to the Profumo scandal.

"And, of course, these scandals start slowly and then they speed up. We're seeing it speed up now."

That's the view from the prime minister's opponents, of course.

And it must be said that the Commons debate on a Tory demand for the release of a Mandelson "paper trail" ended with the government's last-minute compromise being approved "on the nod", and MPs of all parties claiming it was a good outcome.

A last-minute government amendment on a scrap of paper gave parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) the power to vet which sensitive documents about Mandelson should be released, and which shouldn't.

Rayner's ominous intervention

The government's previous position, that "papers prejudicial to UK national security or international relations" should be kept secret, incensed MPs of all parties, and the PM was heading for a humiliating rebellion and possible defeat.

Ominously for the PM, it was Angela Rayner, his former deputy now banished to the back benches after her stamp duty dodge, that forced him into a U-turn.

There was a sharp intake of breath from MPs as the rose to her feet and made what sounded like a perfectly sensible proposal. The ISC should look at the papers, in "keeping public confidence in the process", she said.

But MPs are nothing if not conspiracy theorists. Was she signalling she might vote with the Tories? Was she twisting the knife? Or was she being helpful? Probably all three.

By the end of the debate, many gloomy Labour MPs were in despair at Sir Keir's faltering and unconvincing performance at PMQs, and the shambolic government U-turn on publishing the Mandelson files.

Was the red queen serving notice that she's ready to seize Starmer's crown? Certainly, his terrible judgement in appointing Mandelson as US ambassador has left him even more vulnerable than ever to a leadership challenge.

And the Mandelson-Epstein furore is suddenly being compared by MPs to another sex and secrets scandal that brought down a prime minister more than 60 years ago.

Savannah Guthrie makes emotional plea to mother's captors: 'We are ready to talk'

February 05, 2026 at 05:12

US TV host Savannah Guthrie has pleaded for the return of her mother and said the family is "ready to talk" to her captor - but asked them to provide proof she is alive.

In an emotional video message posted on social media, the NBC anchor, flanked by her siblings, said: "We are ready to talk. However, we live in a world where voices and images are easily manipulated.

"We need to know without a doubt that she is alive and that you have her. We want to hear from you, and we are ready to listen. Please reach out to us."

Nancy Guthrie was last seen at her home near Tucson, Arizona, on Saturday evening. The 84-year-old was reported missing the following day after she failed to appear at church.

Investigators said they had found signs of forced entry at her home and believe she was taken against her will.

Several media organisations reported receiving apparent ransom notes earlier this week that they handed over to police. Authorities are yet to confirm if these are legitimate.

No suspect or person of interest has been identified, according to Pima County sheriff Chris Nanos.

Mr Nanos previously said the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, who has limited mobility and requires daily medication, was not "dementia related".

"She's as sharp as a tack," he said. "The family wants everyone to know that this isn't someone who just wandered off."

In the video clip, a tearful Savannah Guthrie, joined by her sister Annie and brother Cameron, said: "Our mum is our heart and our home. She is 84 years old. Her health, her heart, is fragile. She lives in constant pain. She is without any medicine. She needs it to survive, she needs it not to suffer.

"Mummy, if you are hearing this, you are a strong woman. You are God's precious daughter."

Trump sends message of support

Shortly after the video was posted, Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: "I spoke with Savannah Guthrie, and let her know that I am directing ALL Federal Law Enforcement to be at the family's, and Local Law Enforcement's, complete disposal, IMMEDIATELY.

"We are deploying all resources to get her mother home safely. The prayers of our Nation are with her and her family. GOD BLESS AND PROTECT NANCY!"

Savannah Guthrie co-hosts Today, the morning show on NBC News, the US sister network of Sky News.

She often brought her mother on as a guest. Speaking on the show in 2022 on Nancy Guthrie's 80th birthday, she said: "She has met unthinkable challenges in her life with grit, without self-pity, with determination and always, always with unshakeable faith.

"She loves us, her family, fiercely, and her selflessness and sacrifice for us, her steadfastness and her unmovable confidence is the reason any of us grew up to do anything."

Winter Olympics: Show respect rather than jeer the Americans, says IOC boss

February 05, 2026 at 03:53

Even without coming to the Winter Olympics in Italy, Donald Trump and his polarising policies and provocations are dominating, even distracting.

Of all the security agents chosen to protect the official US delegation, ICE is in Milan for the expected opening ceremony visits by vice president JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio.

They are the Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel called a "militia that kills" by Milan mayor Beppe Sala following the deaths of two Americans last month in Minneapolis.

There have been attempts by the Italian government to allay fears about their deployment, insisting they won't have powers to conduct policing in the streets.

But just their presence here has been a concern for protesting locals in Milan.

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Add in how tensions have been stoked in recent weeks between Mr Trump and Europe over his threats to capture Greenland, and it all raises the potential for a hostile atmosphere greeting American officials and athletes in the opening ceremony at the San Siro home of AC and Inter Milan on Friday night.

So, I asked International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry: would jeering be freedom of expression, or is there a need for spectators to show respect?

"I hope that the opening ceremony is seen by everyone ⁠as an opportunity ‍to be respectful of each other," Ms Coventry said, reflecting on seeing athletes from different countries mixing in the official Olympic village in Milan.

"It was a real opportunity to put into perspective how we could be.

"And so I hope that the opening ceremony will do that and will be a reminder for everyone how we could be."

US Games on the horizon

Ms Coventry is yet to meet Mr Trump despite the Los Angeles Olympics being just two years away.

But Olympic chiefs are facing pressure from IOC members in Africa to tackle concerns about the impact of Mr Trump's travel bans on delegations.

Officials from Ethiopia and Djibouti challenged LA 2028 chiefs during meetings in Milan about the need for equal access for all countries to the games - beyond athletes.

Ms Coventry's own Zimbabwe is subject to restrictions for some citizens for entry to the US.

Her lack of contact with Mr Trump after a year leading the IOC contrasts with the US leaders' regular meetings with FIFA president Gianni Infantino, although his World Cup is sooner - coming this summer.

For now, the IOC moving towards a ban on transgender women competing in women's sport is a policy that will placate Mr Trump.

And Ms Coventry has said: "As we get closer to the Olympics you will see the relations continue… and only get stronger."

But first she has to get through a Winter Olympics that could be a tricky and challenging environment for American athletes in Milan-Cortina.

We're about to enter a world without nuclear arms control as US-Russia treaty expires

February 05, 2026 at 03:08

We're about to enter a world without nuclear arms control.

The last remaining treaty capping the arsenals of Russia and the US will expire today.

It means, for the first time in more than half a century, there will be no legal limits on their missiles and warheads, and there are fears we are on the brink of a new arms race.

"It's a serious situation," Vasily Kashin, a research fellow at Moscow's Higher School of Economics, told Sky News.

"Probably now we can witness a lot of developments, especially in the US nuclear policy, and the situation will be quite unpredictable.

"There is a real danger of a nuclear arms race in the coming years."

The first agreement on arms control between the world's nuclear superpowers was in 1972, signed by US president Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev.

The aim was to slow the arms race and prevent a catastrophic misunderstanding.

Even at the height of the Cold War, these two rivals could agree on that.

In 1991, as the Soviet Union fell, George Bush senior and Mikhail Gorbachev signed the START treaty.

It was the first time both sides had to reduce their arsenals and it marked the start of an inspection framework, so that each side could check the other was complying with the limits.

The most recent treaty - the New START - was signed in 2010, by Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, before being extended for five years in 2021.

On each side, the number of deployed strategic warheads are capped at 1,550, and the number of delivery vehicles are limited to 700.

That's more than enough for Russia and the US to destroy each other but it's a cap nonetheless.

And when this treaty expires on Thursday, that cap will no longer exist, ending decades of arms control cooperation.

So how have we reached this point?

The Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 saw a breakdown in Russia-US relations, to the point where talks to negotiate a new treaty were never even scheduled.

The terms of the current treaty allow only for one formal extension.

Vladimir Putin has proposed an informal rollover for 12 months, but Donald Trump so far hasn't agreed.

Some believe he's crazy not to, fearing the US will be the one that loses out if there is an arms race.

But others believe it's a good move, leaving America free to compete with the nuclear build-up of other countries like China.

And China's clearly on the US president's mind - he says he wants a new trilateral treaty that includes Beijing.

But those who've worked on these things warn that it's wishful thinking.

"We never tried trilateral [talks] actually," Nikolai Sokov, a former Soviet and Russian arms control negotiator, told Sky News.

"Who says it's going to be trilateral? The official Russian position and the official Chinese position is that negotiations can be bilateral between the United States and Russia, or they can be five-party, including the United Kingdom and France."

So barring any last-minute deal, we're entering unchartered territory and who knows for how long.

The strategic stability won't change overnight, but the absence of any agreement shows how far US-Russia relations have fallen.

And it could make the world a much more dangerous place.

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