Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was "considering abdication" from the royal family over comments made by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, new emails have revealed. The former Duke of York, 61, and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, both feature extensively in more than three million new documents published by the US Department of Justice concerning convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein last week.
One email exchange dated 8 May 2011 from a sender called "Melanie", whose full name was redacted, said Andrew was like a "zoo animal" after the late Queen allegedly said his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, should "get a job". "Melanie", who had visited the Yorks' home, wrote that "stuff's bad for A (Andrew's) girls" and went on to reference a person called "S", thought to be Sarah Ferguson.
The message continued: "S has a specific question for you. A is sad and frustrated. Considering abdication but he's like a zoo animal, no way esp now for him to thrive. I took my laundry to their house yesterday they were a little shocked. I hope that wasn't rude. A said yes, but S wasn't amused. I needed yoga clothes."
Beatrice, 37, and Eugenie, 35, are not working royals and now both have their own jobs outside of the family, which they juggle with being mothers. Beatrice is the vice-president of strategic partnerships at software company Afiniti, while Eugenie is a director at the art gallery Hauser & Wirth in Mayfair.
The messages came after Andrew was infamously caught on camera going for a walk in New York's Central Park with Epstein in February 2011. It was believed at the time that they had since ceased contact but, in fact, Epstein continued to finance the family, including paying debts owed by Sarah.
In response to her email, Epstein warned Melanie, "Careful - there is a Daily Mail rat, close to him, not her. He is unaware." The ongoing revelations surrounding the latest release of Epstein files come as Andrew was officially exiled from his Royal Lodge in Windsor to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
Princess Beatrice and Eugenie's lives as modern mothers
Beatrice and Eugenie are princesses by birth but are not working royals, meaning they do not take part in day-to-day engagements on behalf of the family. Princess Beatrice shares daughters, Sienna, four, and Athena, one, with her property developer husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, while Princess Eugenie has two sons, August, four, and Ernest, two, with Jack Brooksbank. Beatrice is also stepmother to Edoardo's nine-year-old son, Christopher Woolf, known as Wolfie, from his previous relationship with American architect Dara Huang.
"The Princess has shown how a so-called blended family works," royal author Robert Jobson told HELLO! earlier this month. "She wed Edoardo in July 2020, when his son Wolfie was around four, and she was genuine too when she described being his stepmum as 'a great honour'."
What was in the latest release of the Epstein files?
On Friday, more than three million documents were published by the US Department of Justice relating to the disgraced paedophile financier, Jeffrey Epstein. The latest release showed photos of the former Prince Andrew appearing to kneel on all fours over a woman lying on the ground. He has always denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, his ex-wife, Sarah, praised Epstein as the "brother I have always wished for" and appeared to congratulate him on having a "baby boy". One message, sent in January 2010 - just six months after Epstein was released from prison - Sarah wrote: "You are a legend. 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."
Andrew has faced allegations, which he strenuously denies, that he sexually assaulted a teenage Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein. He paid millions to Ms Giuffre, a woman he has claimed never to have met, to settle a civil sexual assault claim in 2022, and stepped down from royal duties in 2019.