Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is reported to have informed a young actress, reportedly abused by Jeffrey Epstein, about another woman who had previously raised concerns regarding Epstein’s ‘inappropriate’ behavior. This revelation allegedly occurred a year before Andrew is accused of having sexual relations with Virginia Giuffre.

In a significant statement shared with The Mail on Sunday, it was suggested that Andrew, while dating a glamorous actress in the late 1990s, introduced her to Epstein during a visit to Windsor Castle. It is alleged that this encounter led to the US billionaire sexually assaulting the actress.

The Mail on Sunday has learned that this woman, whose identity remains protected for legal reasons, received a financial settlement in June as part of Epstein’s victim compensation. Perry Wander, a prominent lawyer in the United States, asserts that the actress confided in Andrew about Epstein’s ‘inappropriate’ behavior towards her 25 years ago.

According to allegations, Andrew responded that he was ‘not surprised’ by the claims because another individual had previously made a similar accusation, although the identity of that person remains undisclosed.

The actress’s warning to Andrew reportedly took place over a year prior to Epstein’s trafficking of 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre to London, where she met the then Duke of York.

Virginia Giuffre, who tragically passed away earlier this year, alleged that she was coerced into having sexual encounters with Andrew on three occasions, accusations that the former prince has consistently and vehemently denied.

The latest allegations – the first time Andrew has been accused of introducing a woman to Epstein – will send shockwaves through the Royal Family.

And it will fuel calls for Andrew, who has already been stripped of all his Royal titles, to give evidence to the US Congress about his friendship with the sex offender Epstein.

Andrew last night did not respond to a request for comment.

The woman’s alleged warning to Andrew about Epstein came more than a year before the billionaire financier trafficked 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre to London to meet the then Duke of York

Andrew, it is claimed, encouraged the woman to spend time with Epstein, including by flying on the financier’s private jet, later dubbed the Lolita Express

Mr Wander, an entertainment lawyer based in Beverly Hills whose clients have included Lindsay Lohan and Warren Beatty, told the MoS that the woman had agreed to come forward after being inspired by Ms Giuffre’s ‘courage’.

‘She was inspired… by her desire to stand with other survivors, and by the profound impact of Virginia Giuffre’s passing, which served as a catalyst for her to speak publicly.’

Andrew is said to have grown close to the woman after meeting in 1999. The couple enjoyed several dates, including lunch at Buckingham Palace.

Attractive and described by friends as fun-loving, the woman was attempting to forge a career in film and TV. In contrast, Andrew, then 39, a commander in the Royal Navy, was coming to the end of his military career. 

Mr Wander alleged that Andrew introduced her to Epstein and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was jailed in 2022 for helping Epstein traffic under-age girls, during a visit to Windsor Castle in October 1999.

Andrew, it is claimed, encouraged the woman to spend time with Epstein, including by flying on the financier’s private jet, later dubbed the Lolita Express.

The MoS has learnt that the woman flew several times on the jet and visited Epstein’s mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, and his private Caribbean island, dubbed ‘Paedophile Island’.

The woman claimed she was repeatedly sexually abused by Epstein, who took his own life in 2019. She is understood to have been one of the last of Epstein’s victims to receive a payout from the financier’s estate, which was valued at around £500 million when he died.

It is claimed the woman confided in Andrew that she was unhappy with the way Epstein had treated her – and the former prince allegedly admitted he knew someone else had complained

It is claimed that Virginia Giuffre’s (pictured) ‘courage’ taught the unnamed woman ‘that fear should not stand in the way of justice’

Mr Wander said: ‘My client has disclosed that Prince Andrew encouraged her to seek out and follow Jeffrey Epstein’s guidance, and to spend time with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

‘When she questioned Prince Andrew about whether doing so was safe, he reassured her that he ‘trusted Jeffrey and Ghislaine’ and that she ‘should listen to Jeffrey’s counsel and spend time with him and Ghislaine.’

In an extraordinary twist, Mr Wander claimed that she later confided in Andrew that she was unhappy with the way Epstein had treated her – and the former prince allegedly admitted he knew that someone else had also complained.

The MoS understands that it is claimed the woman did not explicitly tell the then prince she had been sexually assaulted. Indeed, Mr Wander said ‘she struggled for decades to understand and accept what had happened to her’. He claims, however, that his client did inform Andrew that Epstein had not acted correctly with her.

‘One memory that stayed with her – and became a compelling factor in identifying Prince Andrew – was a conversation in early 2000 in which she confided in him about her time with Epstein and disclosed that he had behaved inappropriately towards her,’ said Mr Wander. 

‘In response, he admitted that he wasn’t surprised because he heard that someone else had made a similar allegation. She remembers thinking: If he knew that, why would he encourage me to spend time with Epstein?’

He added: ‘She has expressed feelings of ambivalence toward Prince Andrew and initially did not wish to identify him publicly. But Virginia Giuffre’s courage taught her that fear should not stand in the way of justice.’

Andrew is said to have grown close to the woman after meeting in 1999

The woman emailed Epstein a supportive message the day after he was arrested in July 2019

Documents released earlier this month reveal that the woman emailed Epstein a supportive message the day after he was arrested in July 2019.

Quizzed by the MoS about the email, Mr Wander said her supportive comments to Epstein ‘didn’t reflect how she felt’ and was the result of what he called a ‘trauma bond’. 

‘Jeffrey used emotional manipulation, psychological pressure, sexual violence and coercive control to gaslight her into offering support after his arrest, even though this did not accurately reflect how she felt in 2019 when she emailed him.

‘It was hard to accept that she had been victimised. A sexual predator can exploit this bond to maintain contact with a victim, which Jeffrey expertly did.’

Andrew was stripped of all his Royal titles, including the title ‘prince’, last month after a leaked email published by the MoS proved that he lied in his interview with BBC’s Newsnight when he claimed he ‘never had any contact’ with Epstein after the pair were famously pictured together in New York in December 2010.