{"id":1402976,"date":"2026-02-02T10:03:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T15:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/?p=1402976&preview=true&preview_id=1402976"},"modified":"2026-02-02T13:25:00","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T18:25:00","slug":"from-elon-musk-to-the-former-prince-andrew-a-whos-who-of-powerful-men-are-named-in-epstein-files","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thenewsherald.com\/2026\/02\/02\/from-elon-musk-to-the-former-prince-andrew-a-whos-who-of-powerful-men-are-named-in-epstein-files\/","title":{"rendered":"From Elon Musk to the former Prince Andrew, a who\u2019s who of powerful men are named in Epstein files"},"content":{"rendered":"

By PHILIP MARCELO The Associated Press<\/p>\n

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 From tech titans to Wall Street power brokers and foreign dignitaries, a who\u2019s who of powerful men make appearances in the huge trove of documents<\/a> released Friday by the Justice Department in connection with its investigations of Jeffrey Epstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Many have denied having close ties to the late financier, or at least having anything to do with his alleged sexual abuse of girls and young women that led to his arrest on sex trafficking charges.<\/p>\n

None have been charged with a crime connected to the investigation. Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell<\/a> in 2019. Yet some of them maintained friendships with Epstein, or developed them anew, even after he became known as a predator of young girls and registered sex offender.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a primer on some of the notable names in the Epstein files:<\/p>\n

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor<\/h4>\n

The man formerly known as Britain\u2019s Prince Andrew<\/a> has long been dogged by questions about his relationship with Epstein, including allegations from the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre<\/a> that she was trafficked by Epstein and instructed to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor when she was 17.<\/p>\n

The former prince has repeatedly denied<\/a> that it happened, but his brother, King Charles III, still stripped him of his royal titles<\/a> late last year, including the right to be called a prince and the Duke of York.<\/p>\n

Mountbatten-Windsor\u2019s name appears at least several hundred times in Friday\u2019s document release, including in Epstein\u2019s private emails.<\/p>\n

Among the correspondence is an invitation for Epstein<\/a> to dine at Buckingham Palace, Epstein\u2019s offer to introduce Mountbatten-Windsor to a 26-year-old Russian woman, and photos that appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over an unidentified woman lying on the floor.<\/p>\n

Elon Musk<\/h4>\n

The billionaire Tesla founder turns up at least a few times in Friday\u2019s document release, notably in email exchanges in 2012 and 2013 in which he discussed visiting Epstein\u2019s infamous Caribbean island compound.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not immediately clear if the island visits took place. Spokespersons for Musk\u2019s companies, Tesla and X, didn\u2019t respond to emails seeking comment Friday or Saturday.<\/p>\n

Musk<\/a> has maintained that he repeatedly turned down the disgraced financier\u2019s overtures. \u201cEpstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED,\u201d he posted on X in 2025.<\/p>\n

Richard Branson<\/h4>\n

The billionaire founder of the Virgin Group, a global conglomerate, exchanged numerous emails with Epstein in the years after he pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a minor and agreed to register as a sex offender in Florida in 2008.<\/p>\n

In a 2013 exchange, Branson invited Epstein to his own private Caribbean island, which regularly hosts large conferences, charity events and business meetings.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny time you\u2019re in the area would love to see you,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAs long as you bring your harem!\u201d<\/p>\n