New Photos Taken Inside Epstein's Home Show How Close He Was to Andrew and Fergie: Report

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has spent years trying to draw a line between his present life and a past he would rather leave behind. Yet that history continues to resurface — through court cases, old records, and now, unexpectedly, through photographs taken years ago by a veteran photographer. Christopher Anderson, a long-time Vanity Fair contributor, revisited his personal archive, sharing documents from a 2015 assignment involving Jeffrey Epstein, which, while centred on the financier himself, also brings renewed attention to Mountbatten-Windsor and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson. 

In a detailed Instagram post, Anderson described being commissioned by New York Magazine to photograph Epstein to accompany an article by Michael Wolff. At the time, Anderson said, Epstein was primarily known for his connections to powerful figures. “I didn’t know much about him,” Anderson wrote, adding, “other than the fact that he had heavy connections to powerful men.” Before the shoot took place, Epstein requested a meeting to discuss the future ownership of the photographs. Anderson recalled a man who was immediately assessing leverage. “When Epstein arrived, his eyes sized me up like someone always looking for the angles,” he recounted, adding that Epstein pressed him on how the shoot would run and what the images might be worth. Epstein later offered Anderson $20,000 to purchase the photos after publication — a sum Anderson said was significant to him at the time. Days later, Epstein abruptly withdrew from the story and began demanding the images outright. When Anderson refused, explaining the photographs were not Epstein’s property, the situation escalated.

“Then the threats started,” Anderson wrote. He described Epstein sending his bodyguard, Merwin, “a massive guy in a long black overcoat and black leather gloves,” to his studio to intimidate him. Anderson said Epstein also pressured the magazine, which ultimately decided to kill the story. The photographer cashed the cheque, surrendered the hard drive, and believed the images had been erased. Until now.

While searching through an old hard drive years later, Anderson said he came across a surviving copy of the shoot, including material that extended beyond Epstein himself. Among the images were glimpses of Epstein’s private space, such as a taxidermied tiger, and a printed email exchange that appeared to reference Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson directly.

The email, photographed on Epstein’s desk, refers to a payment dispute involving “the Duke and Duchess.” It reads, “I have expressed my concern to you that despite all our concerted efforts, I still remain unpaid.” The message goes on to outline financial arrangements agreed “directly between the Duke, the Duchess, and I,” and notes a reduced sum of $59,933 following negotiations.

The correspondence refers to a settlement linked to John O’Sullivan, a former private secretary to Ferguson, and was addressed to Amanda Thirsk, Mountbatten-Windsor’s long-serving private secretary. Thirsk later became a central figure in arranging the former Prince’s 2019 Newsnight interview, after which she left royal service. Although the email originated from an account identified as 'nycjos,' the involvement of both O’Sullivan and Thirsk — senior aides closely associated with the former Duke and Duchess of York makes it amply clear that the figures referenced were Mountbatten-Windsor and Ferguson.

The financial connection itself has long been known. Epstein’s role in assisting the couple with personal debts, including help linked to their Swiss chalet, has been documented in court records and media reports over the years. The rediscovered email does not introduce a new allegation; instead just reinforces how those financial matters were once managed within Epstein’s orbit. It sits alongside other previously reported correspondence involving Ferguson and Epstein. In one leaked email, the former Duchess referred to Epstein as a 'supreme friend,' language that later drew scrutiny as details of his conduct became public.