Apologies, resignations and royal backlash follow latest Epstein files release

US authorities on Friday released a fresh batch of documents linked to the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

The newly disclosed files mention a wide range of prominent figures, including US President Donald Trump, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and British billionaire Richard Branson.

The latest revelations have already triggered a series of apologies, resignations and renewed scrutiny. Below are the key developments so far:

Norway’s crown princess

Norway’s Crown Princess Mette-Marit, whose name appears more than 1,000 times across millions of newly released documents, has apologised for what she described as an “embarrassing” friendship with Epstein.

Emails published by Norwegian media date from 2011 to 2014. In one message, Mette-Marit asked Epstein whether it would be “inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard as wallpaper for my 15-year-old son”.

Speaking on Saturday, the crown princess said she had shown “poor judgment” and “deeply regret[s] having had any contact with Epstein”. The palace said she cut ties with him in 2014 after feeling he was attempting to use their relationship to gain influence with others.

The disclosures come at a sensitive moment for the royal family, days before Mette-Marit’s 29-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, is due to stand trial in Oslo on Tuesday. He faces 38 charges, including the rape of four women, as well as assault and drug offences. He denies the most serious allegations.

Britain’s Andrew

Britain’s former Prince Andrew has again been drawn into the Epstein scandal, with the latest release including undated photographs appearing to show him kneeling over a woman lying on the floor.

Asked on Saturday whether Andrew should testify before the US Congress, as repeatedly demanded, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he believed he should.

In October last year, King Charles III stripped Andrew of his remaining royal titles and honours following allegations by Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre that she was trafficked to have sex with him on three occasions, including twice when she was 17.

Slovakia’s security adviser

Slovakia’s national security adviser has resigned over his links to Epstein, Prime Minister Robert Fico announced on Sunday.

Miroslav Lajcak exchanged text messages about women with Epstein in 2018 during his second term as foreign minister, according to the BBC.

Announcing the resignation on Facebook, Fico said the government was losing “an incredible source of experience and knowledge in foreign policy”, while noting that Lajcak had “categorically denied and rejected” the allegations.

LA Olympics chief

The head of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics organising committee, Casey Wasserman, apologised on Saturday after decades-old flirtatious emails between him and Epstein’s former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell appeared in the files.

Wasserman said the 2003 exchanges took place before Maxwell’s crimes were known. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking underage girls for Epstein.

He said he had never had a personal or business relationship with Epstein and was “terribly sorry” for any association with either of them.

Former British envoy to the US

Peter Mandelson, who was dismissed as Britain’s ambassador to Washington last year over his Epstein ties, resigned from the Labour Party on Sunday after the new documents revived scrutiny of his relationship with the disgraced financier.

British media have cited banking records suggesting Epstein transferred $75,000 to accounts linked to Mandelson in 2003 and 2004. Mandelson told the BBC he had no record or recollection of receiving the payments.

In a letter to Labour’s general secretary, he said allegations he believed to be false needed to be investigated, adding that he was stepping down to avoid causing the party “further embarrassment”.

Undated photographs released by US authorities appear to show Mandelson wearing a T-shirt and underwear next to a woman whose face was redacted. He told the BBC he could not identify the woman or determine where the photo was taken.

Mandelson apologised in January to Epstein’s victims and for his past friendship with him.