Never-before-seen Epstein photo reveals Prince Andrew and Mandelson together with disgraced tycoon
Newly resurfaced photographs from the Epstein files show former prince Andrew, Peter Mandelson, and Jeffrey Epstein together for the first time.
In the picture, released along with hundreds of thousands of documents by the US Department of Justice, the three men are sitting around a wooden table with mugs featuring the stars and stripes flag in front of them. Mandelson and Andrew appear in white bathrobes, while Epstein is wearing a shirt and jumper.
Though both are known to have been friends with the late paedophile financier, this is the first time the three men have been pictured together.
The exact date and location of the photograph are unclear, though another photograph showing Mandelson in a similar white robe appeared in another file titled "Epstein birthday book."
This comes amid calls this week for Mandelson to return the £75,000 payout he received when he was dismissed as US ambassador last autumn.
Ministers are among those calling on the disgraced former peer to return the money, which he settled for after initially requesting a £500,000 settlement.
Speaking to journalists in Paisley, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: "Firstly in terms of should he pay the money back, yes I would urge him to do so. Whether that’s to charities or to others working in the area of the exploitation of women.
"We need to recognize that the primary victims in this instance and the people who were most betrayed were the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes."
The recent release of Epstein files showed that Mandelson, while serving in Gordon Brown’s cabinet back in 2008, leaked a high-level Downing Street memo to the financier detailing £20 billion in proposed state asset sales and confidential tax policies.
The same year, after Epstein was convicted in the US of soliciting prostitution but before he was sentenced, Mandelson appeared to write to him: "You have to be incredibly resilient, fight for early release and be philosophical about it as much as you can. The whole thing has been years of torture and now you have to show the world how big a person you are, and how strong. I think the world of you..."
Mandelson stepped down from the House of Lords and resigned his membership of the Labour Party after the depth of his friendship with Epstein came to light last month, but legally retains the title of Lord Peter Mandelson of Foy and Hartlepool.
New legislation to strip Mandelson of his title is being drafted and could be broadened to include any peer who has broken the rules, Downing Street has said.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman told reporters: "The Prime Minister has asked officials to draft legislation which allows Peter Mandelson’s peerage to be removed as quickly as possible.
"The Government’s preference is to bring forward legislation that could be applied to any peer who has breached the rules and brought the other place into disrepute, rather than Mandelson specifically.
"We have begun the work of looking at the scope and ability for such a Bill to be introduced.
"But a Bill of that nature has not been brought before Parliament since 1478, so we are working on that, and we are liaising with the House authorities to ensure that we get this right."
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his royal titles last year, has not been seen in public since he was arrested last month on suspicion of misconduct in a public office. He has not been charged but remains under investigation.
World Affairs Correspondent
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