THE New York trip Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor insisted was only to “cut ties” with Jeffrey Epstein was in fact a five-day long weekend in which they met up with celebs including a Victoria’s Secret model.
The former prince said he went only to tell the paedo financier that they could no longer be friends after his conviction for soliciting a minor for prostitution.
But damning documents released by US investigators suggested a packed itinerary with other guests including Latvian model Lana Zakocela, then 21.
Epstein even hosted a lavish dinner at his £60million Manhattan home in the Andrew’s honour.
Among those there were film director Woody Allen and his wife Soon Yi Previn, stand-up comedian Chelsea Handler, talk show host Charlie Rose, TV anchor Katie Couric and former White House communications director George Stephanopoulos.
Andrew and Epstein also spent time discussing future business opportunities and were infamously photographed together walking in Central Park.
In his car crash Newsnight interview in 2019, Andrew now 65, said the “sole purpose” of jetting over for the visit in December 2010 was to say goodbye to Epstein face to face. But newly-emerged emails paint a different picture.
DECEMBER 2 saw the VIP dinner. Emails between Epstein and US publicist Peggy Siegal, who helped arrange it, show them ordering in “gold ballroom chairs” and setting up table flower arrangements.
On DECEMBER 3 Siegal, now 78, emailed Epstein saying the evening had been “sensational”.
She joked about how she had asked Andrew what he was planning to wear to the 2012 wedding of Prince William and Kate.
Andrew later said in his BBC interview that the get-together was a “small dinner party”.
‘Anyone new for tonight?’… ‘Not yet, but I’m working on that!’
Email btween Jeffrey Epstein and ‘Irina’
December 3 also saw Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell, now serving 20 years, confirm she would “try and stop by after dinner”.
On DECEMBER 4 — the day before the Central Park outing — Epstein appeared to make a plea for “new girls”.
A cryptic email to a woman named Irina asked: “Anyone new for tonight?” She responded: “Not yet, but I’m working on that!
“Do you want to see [redacted] or [redacted] again?” Just months earlier Epstein had offered Andrew a meeting with a 26-year-old Russian called Irina for dinner in London. It is unclear whether it is the same woman.
Also on December 4, Epstein and Andrew went shopping together in department store Barneys. Emails show they met up with NEXT Model management founder Faith Kates for lunch.
That afternoon Epstein — who maintained a decades-long friendship with Victoria’s Secret chairman Leslie Wexner — sent a driver to pick up model Lana from John F Kennedy airport. Epstein told her he would put her up for “one or two nights”.
That evening Epstein sorted out a video call with Senegalese politician Karim Wade to discuss “opportunities in Africa”.
Epstein also arranged for Andrew to meet a man called Mark Packer. And he tried to set up meetings with business bigwigs including ex-Barclays CEO Jes Staley, real estate boss Andrew Farkas and philanthropic group chief Barnaby Marsh by bragging the then-Prince was staying with him.
He exchanged emails with Connecticut businessman Kevin Law about a meeting they had that week in which Law described Andrew as a “smart guy and very down to earth”.
An exchange between Epstein and Soon Yi Previn shows he invited her and her husband over for breakfast on DECEMBER 5 for “Sunday bagels” before going for a walk with Andrew.
On Newsnight, Andrew said the dinner party and the park stroll were the only times he saw Epstein during the trip — except for “probably passing in the passage”.
He described the New York mansion as like a “railway station” due to the number of people coming in and out.
He recalled: “By mutual agreement during that walk in the park we decided that we would part company and I left, I think it was the next day and to this day I never had any contact with him from that day forward”.
Again, documents released in the latest Epstein Files appear to contradict him.
Emails show Epstein inviting one of his associates, Valerie Post, for lunch with Andrew the very next day, on DECEMBER 6. He asked: “Want to come for lunch 1-2. Andrew and the daughter of the Australian prime minister, or 5.30 for a repeat of yesterday.”
Later that day Epstein exchanged an email with Mrs Staley in which he wrote: “Naiomi [sic] and boyfriend coming for dinner at 9 if you want” — understood to be a reference to supermodel Naomi Campbell.
An email from Epstein to a redacted associate said “Bill Gates will be here” that evening too.
Andrew is understood to have flown home late on December 6.
Despite later claiming he cut off Epstein after the New York trip, Andrew appears to have sent him a message wishing him a “wonderful Christmas” two weeks later.
The December 22 email refers to Epstein and his associates as “my US family”.
And it says he was “looking forward to joining you all again soon”.
He even promised to call Epstein around 6pm that night after moving his family up to Sandringham.
Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing.
Epstein died in custody in 2019, aged 66.
MORE IN AND OUT FOR ANDY
By Benedict Elliot
REMOVAL trucks arrived at Royal Lodge yesterday to continue Andrew’s clear-out.
A Gander and White lorry drove into the grounds at Windsor at about 10.30am. The company specialises in “fine art logistics”.
Meanwhile, a fuel delivery truck was spotted going into Wood Farm in Sandringham, Norfolk, where the former duke is staying before moving to nearby Marsh Farm.
