Kings, Royalty and World Leaders in the Epstein Files

The Story

Between his release from a Florida jail in July 2009 and his arrest by the FBI in July 2019, Jeffrey Epstein maintained and in some cases expanded relationships with royalty, heads of state, and senior government officials across at least eight countries. The EFTA documents — 2.91 million pages released by the DOJ — show repeated efforts to broker access among politicians, royals, financiers, and state-adjacent actors. This was more than social climbing. It was infrastructure.

Epstein connected political figures to financial institutions. He connected JPMorgan's Jes Staley to Peter Mandelson, who was then UK Business Secretary. He connected Staley to Ehud Barak, the former Israeli Prime Minister. He connected Staley to Nicolas Sarkozy's inner circle at the Élysée Palace. He proposed connecting Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, who ran the world's largest port operator, to Barak. These introductions appear to have increased Epstein's value to major banking circles, especially at JPMorgan, by making him useful as a connector across political and financial networks.

The documents also show something else: the political relationships predated the conviction. FedEx invoices from 2002 show packages shipped from Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to Peter Mandelson at the House of Commons. Prince Andrew's emails with Maxwell date to 2001. But the released documents are sparse before mid-2009 and contain virtually no personal email before September 2007. The peak period of relationship-building (late 1990s through 2006) is largely invisible. What survives in volume is the maintenance of relationships established earlier — the post-conviction rebuilding of a network that should have been destroyed.

This report presents every connection chronologically, citing the source documents and crediting the journalists who reported each finding first.

Before the Conviction (2001–2008)

2001–2002: Andrew, Maxwell, and Mandelson

The earliest documents involving royalty are seven emails between Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell, recovered from their devices by the FBI.

On August 16, 2001, Andrew wrote from Balmoral: "I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family...The Girls are completely shattered." He asked Maxwell: "Have you found me some new inappropriate friends?" The email was sent from [email protected], a UK ISP account listed in the FBI device search warrant. On March 3, 2002, Maxwell sent what prosecutors later identified in a Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) letter (EFTA00080134) as the "2 legged sight seeing" email referencing "the Duke of York."

These emails were first reported by NBC News (Matt Lavietes, December 23, 2025) and ABC News (same day).

In that same period, Epstein and Maxwell were shipping packages to Peter Mandelson at Parliament. Two FedEx invoices from the Maxwell trial production document:

• August 8, 2002: 3.0 lbs, FedEx International Priority, from Jeffrey E. Epstein, 457 Madison Avenue, to Peter Mandelson, The Right Honorable Peter Mandelson, Member of Parliament, House of Commons, London. Delivered August 12 (EFTA01317758).
• November 8, 2002: 1.0 lbs, sender listed as "O. MAXWE[LL]" / Jeffrey E Epstein, same address. Delivered November 11 (EFTA01313812).

Also on the November invoice: a shipment from Conrad Black to Epstein. The contents of all packages are unknown.

Separately, The Times (Steven Swinford) reported that on May 14, 2002, Tony Blair met Epstein at Downing Street, where Blair discussed consulting "a wise religious man" and "the nature that religion plays in world conflicts." LBC (March 2026) later reported that Mandelson had emailed Blair's chief of staff Jonathan Powell: "Jeffrey is in London next week...he is safe (whatever that means)...Clinton is now doing a lot of travelling with him."

What these documents do NOT show: The scope of the pre-conviction relationships. The FedEx packages could contain anything — books, documents, gifts. The email record is sparse before mid-2009; the 2001–2002 materials survive only because they were on seized devices.

2008: Conviction and Barak

Epstein pleaded guilty in June 2008 and served 13 months. During Passover 2008, while arrangements were being made for his sentence, Epstein toured IDF military bases in Israel with Ehud Barak (then Defense Minister). First reported by Haaretz (July 11, 2019), which also broke the Carbyne/Reporty investment partnership.

The Rebuild (2009–2012)

2009: Immediate Post-Release

Epstein was released in July 2009, but the documents show the rebuilding was already underway before his release — and accelerated immediately after.

June 5, 2009 (pre-release): Epstein emailed Jes Staley about Mandelson: "well for all intends and purposes peter mandelson is now deputy prime minister" (EFTA02808649).

June 17, 2009 (pre-release): Epstein to Staley: "peter will be staying at 71st over weekend, do you want to organize either you, or you and Jamie, quietly, up to you." 71st Street is Epstein's Manhattan townhouse. "Jamie" is Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan's CEO.

June 30, 2009 (pre-release): First documented email from Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem (Chairman/CEO, DP World), the most extensively documented Gulf relationship in the files — over 5,000 documents spanning a decade. First reported by Drop Site News (Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain, January 14, 2026).

August 2009: A conference planning document listed Tony Blair alongside George Mitchell, Ehud Barak, Larry Summers, and Bloomberg as desired participants for intellectual gatherings Epstein intended to fund (EFTA00773584).

September 22, 2009: A contact invited Epstein to "a very private evening in honor of President Sarkozy and Carla Bruni" at $25,000 per couple, hosted by Stanley Shopkorn, and asked Epstein to recruit wealthy guests (EFTA00773515). Whether Epstein attended is not documented.

November 29, 2009: Epstein pitched Staley on a JPMorgan Middle East strategy: "think of the financial equivalent of aaramco.. jpm should be the oracle of middle east finance... tony blair can lead that charge" (EFTA00742761). The email was first quoted by Ellie Leonard on Substack in her analysis of the JPMorgan email chain.

2010: Davos, the Élysée, and the JPMorgan Pipeline

The year 2010 is the densest period in the files for political brokerage. Epstein was simultaneously facilitating contact between Mandelson, Barak, and Sarkozy's staff and JPMorgan executives.

January 25, 2010: Epstein to Staley: "The more time you have to announce, the better. I have set you up and Peter to meet in Davos with Darling." Darling is UK Chancellor Alistair Darling. First reported by Tax Policy Associates (February 1, 2026).

January 28, 2010: Boris Nikolic emailed Epstein from Davos: "Met your friend bill clinton yesterday followed up with sarkozy. Later in day meeting your other friend prince andrew as he has some questions re microsoft" (EFTA00764207). Three heads-of-state-level contacts in one Davos day, all described as Epstein's "friends." Reported by Franceinfo (February 2026).

January 29, 2010: Staley to Epstein: "Saw Peter last night. Darling in 20 minutes. Will talk again with Peter this AM."

February 26, 2010: Lesley Groff emailed Epstein: "Shall I prepare heavy snacks for your evening appointments with Peter Mandelson, Jes Staley and Jamie Dimon? Or is this to be a nice, sit-down dinner at 9 p.m.?" (EFTA02808484). In his deposition, Dimon denied ever meeting Epstein: "I have never had an appointment with Jeff Epstein. I've never met Jeff Epstein." He added: "I did know Peter Mandelson, and obviously I knew Jes."

March 29, 2010: Mandelson emailed Epstein: "Took 250 last night, 500 today. Feeling better. Can Jes send me email on issues re Dodds/Volcker." The numbers are ambiguous — they could refer to milligrams of any medication or supplement. The Mail on Sunday (March 2026) characterized them as references to Xanax supplied by Epstein; that interpretation is contested and unverified.

May 16, 2010: Epstein to Staley: "do you have time for the prince andrew and or peter."

May 27, 2010: Mandelson emailed Epstein about a Shanghai banking conference: "the entire Chinese banking fraternity is attending. Isn't it something that JPM should be represented at?" Epstein forwarded to Staley: "I think he is right."

October 2010: Epstein emailed directly with Consuelo Remmert, a senior Sarkozy aide at the Élysée Palace ([email protected]). Epstein identified her to Staley as "Carla's half sister" — she was Carla Bruni's half-sister and Chargée de Mission for G20-G8 (EFTA00661653). Nikolic forwarded Remmert's private email: "Please for your eyes only...She is working very closely with President" (EFTA00751902). Epstein replied: "you might remind her that as nokolas is going to try to revamp the financial markets.. my ideas are new and unique" (EFTA00898623). Reported by Franceinfo.

October 7, 2010: Staley forwarded Epstein an email from Mandelson about a Congo Brazzaville mining deal with President Sassou N'Guesso and a JP-backed consortium.

November 12, 2010: A redacted sender told Epstein regarding Sarkozy: "He rates me but worried that I would not be 'faithful' to him. I will explain" (EFTA00753055).

December 16, 2010: Staley asked Epstein: "Who is the woman helping Sarkozy?" Epstein: "consuelo remmert carla half sister." Staley: "Do you know if she will be at Davos?" (EFTA00696828).

All Mandelson-Staley-Epstein brokerage was confirmed as undisputed fact in USVI v. JPMorgan Chase (EFTA02809437, SUF ¶¶ 293–296). Staley confirmed the Davos meeting under oath (EFTA02810739).

2011: Expanding the Map

January 26, 2011: Fabrice Aidan (UN diplomat) brokered a Davos dinner between Epstein and Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed, UAE Foreign Minister.

January 27, 2011: Nikolic reported to Epstein from Davos (third-party report): "In 30mn bill is meeting sarkozy to discuss various things. Not sure if currency will appear" (EFTA00648334).

April 28, 2011: Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's personal cell number was circulated among Epstein staffers (EFTA00434212).

May 9, 2011: An email forwarded to Epstein described finding a companion for an unidentified man attending a dinner at the Élysée: "He is going to the Palace on thursday night to meet with president Sarkozy and Carla..they r good friends..he needs a beautiful lady to accompany him...don't worry it is not a date" (EFTA01777550). Important caveats: The "he" is unidentified. The email was forwarded to Epstein but does not establish that Epstein arranged or participated in whatever was being discussed. The phrase "don't worry it is not a date" is ambiguous — it could describe an innocuous social request. This email is included because it appears in the Élysée correspondence chain, but its meaning should not be overstated.

June 15, 2011: Epstein RSVP'd to a UN reception honoring Sheikh Fahad Al Salem Al Ali Al Sabah (Kuwait), forwarded by Katherine Keating (documented attendance) (EFTA00432147).

June 2011: Nikolic shared his Paris schedule with Epstein, including: "Working Session with Olivier COLOM et Emmanuel MOULIN, French Presidency Advisors to President Nicolas SARKOZY" and "Working Session with Jean-David LEVITTE, Diplomatic Adviser and Sherpa" (EFTA00744694).

August 2, 2011: Ian Osborne attempted to arrange a meeting between Epstein and Berlusconi in Rome/Sardinia. Osborne emailed Epstein: "Spoke to Valentini. As of now he is more likely to be in Sardinia than Rome on Sunday — with Berlusconi these things are fluid, especially with the EU bailout talks" (EFTA02031956). "Valentini" is Valentino Valentini, Berlusconi's international affairs adviser, who told Wired he had no recollection of the conversation and that no meeting ever took place. Reported by Il Sole 24 Ore (February 24, 2026) and the Irish Times (February 5, 2026).

August 2011: Epstein's schedule showed routing through Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Saudi Arabia. Epstein attempted to arrange a meeting with a "Sheikh Abdullah" to deliver a science book (attempted introduction; canceled) (EFTA00559614).

2012: Gulf State Access

January 9, 2012: Epstein instructed his house manager to prepare for "Tom Barrack and his friend, Sheikh Hamad" to tour 9 East 71st Street at 2pm (EFTA00421861). Esther Kaplan from Colony Capital coordinated. The Barrack-Epstein relationship, including the 71st Street tour, was reported by CBS News (Daniel Ruetenik, February 14, 2026), which quoted related correspondence: "He saw ur house. Love it but not enough bedrooms."

May 5, 2012: French election night. Jean-Luc Brunel sent Epstein live interior ministry polling data: "Last polls from ministry interior. Sarkozy 49.8" (EFTA00709642).

The Network at Full Strength (2013–2016)

2013: Rothschilds, Kings, and the Sultan of Brunei

March 14, 2013: Epstein emailed Ian Osborne proposing a meeting: "sultan of brunei in ny.. want to meet up with him?" (EFTA01900253). No reply or follow-up appears in the files; whether the meeting occurred is unknown.

April 30, 2013: Epstein attended the Milken Global Conference where Tony Blair spoke. The Milken Institute wrote directly to Epstein soliciting a donation to Blair's Faith Foundation (EFTA00681800).

June 2013: The Ariane de Rothschild correspondence began via the aderfam.ch private email domain, running through December 2018. First reported by Drop Site News (Grim and Hussain, November 18, 2025).

June 23, 2013: Epstein asked Olivier Colom (Edmond de Rothschild banker): "corinna sayn wittgenstein what is her real story." Colom: "I only know that she had something with King Juan Carlos: she was supposed to be his informal adviser...and apparently a go-between." Epstein: "no, she is trying to get us to do business in russia? i never met her but dont like the smell" (EFTA01966361). Corinna zu Sayn-Wittgenstein was Juan Carlos's admitted mistress and alleged financial intermediary. Epstein declined the connection. Reported by El Economista and Diario Sabemos (February 2026).

September 2013: Colom brought Bruno Le Maire (then French National Assembly member, later Finance Minister 2017–2024) to Epstein's New York residence (third-party report via Colom correspondence).

2014: The Sarkozy-Barak-Rothschild Dinner and DSK

January 2014: Ariane de Rothschild proposed a Paris dinner with Sarkozy, Barak, and Epstein (proposed meeting; unconfirmed outcome). The Rothschild-Epstein relationship was reported by Reuters (February 5, 2026) and Bloomberg (February 25, 2026).

June 30, 2014: Caroline Lang (daughter of former French Culture Minister Jack Lang) arranged a meeting between Epstein and Dominique Strauss-Kahn at the Royal Monceau Hotel in Paris.

2015–2016: $25 Million, Qatar, and Mexico

October 5, 2015: Letter of Agreement between Southern Trust Company Inc. (Epstein) and Edmond de Rothschild Holding S.A. (Ariane de Rothschild) for $24,999,980 covering "risk analysis and the application and use of certain algorithms." Payment synchronized with the December 18, 2015 DOJ Swiss Bank Program settlement in which the bank paid $45M in penalties. First reported by Anadolu Agency (February 1, 2026).

June 18, 2015: Epstein brokered a meeting between Barak and Sultan bin Sulayem.

November 4, 2016: The office of Sheikh Jabor Yousef Jassim Al Thani (Qatar ruling family) requested a landing permit for Epstein's aircraft at Doha International Airport (EFTA00438623). Reported by Reason (Matthew Petti, February 3, 2026).

November 15, 2016: Epstein emailed David Stern: "I met carlos salinas with john brockman at the billionaire dinner, and supposedly he is building a house on hamad b jassem property in marrakash. , me too" (EFTA01062078). Salinas is the former President of Mexico (1988–1994). "Hamad b jassem" is the former Prime Minister of Qatar. Brockman was Epstein's Edge Foundation organizer — reported by BuzzFeed News and Chronicle of Higher Education. The Salinas connection was noted by Milenio (Mexico) post-dump.

The Bannon Era (2017–2019)

2017: DNA Kits and Continued Access

July 2017: 30 DNA ancestry kits were shipped to the Al Maktoum family (Dubai ruling family) via Emirates, acknowledged by "Mohamad Maktoum." Epstein instructed staff to register the kits under the name "rashid epstein." Reported by Middle East Eye and CNN Business (February 13, 2026).

July 4, 2017: Shahzad Shahbaz wrote to Epstein: "HE Sheikh Hamad mentioned that he may require me to meet with you in the next few days" (EFTA00627627) — five years after the 71st Street tour.

June 2017: Ariane de Rothschild emailed Epstein: "I must give a speech in Spanish tom for the king of Spain." By 2017, this was Felipe VI (Juan Carlos abdicated 2014). Epstein: "OY" (EFTA02360798).

2018: Bannon's European Tour

The Bannon-Epstein relationship ran approximately January 2018 through Epstein's arrest, covering hundreds of texts and emails. Reported extensively by NBC News (February 12, 2026), CNN (February 9, 2026), New Republic (February 16, 2026), and Jacobin (Branko Marcetic, December 19, 2025).

March 8, 2018: Bannon texted Epstein from Milan: "I'm heading into Milan right now for meeting with salvini --- looks like tonight Grillo and tomorrow Rome and berlusconi and 5 star --- front nationale wants me to address their conference on Saturday --- thoughts." Epstein: "Not my expertise! I think attend but not address, too many echoes of Charlottesville... Less is more" (EFTA01614963).

2018 (undated): An iMessage exchange discussed a proposed meeting (proposed meeting; outcome unknown): "Peace mtg? W Jared and Tony Blair and all those folks?" followed by "Not sure bg interested in peace process mostly technologies" and "He says he speaks to Jared a lot" (EFTA01612935). "Jared" is Jared Kushner. "bg" is unidentified. We did not find major press coverage of this specific exchange as of March 2026.

September 11, 2018: Epstein dined with King Juan Carlos I at a dinner organized by sugar baron Pepe Fanjul in Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic (documented meeting). A social diary entry included in the House Oversight production (DS99) describes the scene. Reported by Diario Sabemos (Marcos López, February 6, 2026).

December 20, 2018: Epstein brokered a meeting between former Qatari PM Hamad bin Jassim and Ehud Barak at One Hyde Park, London (documented meeting). Reported by Reason (Matthew Petti).

2019: The Island Meeting and the End

January 14, 2019: A documented meeting on Epstein's island brought together Sultan bin Sulayem, Steve Bannon, Ehud Barak, Nicole Junkermann, and Jabor Al Thani (Qatar). Reported by Drop Site News (Grim and Hussain, January 14, 2026).

February 2019: Barak met Bannon at Epstein's residence.

March 2019: Epstein's staff coordinated cleaning of Barak's apartment at 301 East 66th Street — Epstein's building. First reported by Daily Beast (August 6, 2019). Drop Site News later reported (February 18, 2026) that the Israeli government managed surveillance at the building.

July 6, 2019: Epstein arrested by the FBI at Teterboro Airport.

August 10, 2019: Epstein found dead in his cell at MCC.

December 3, 2019: VG (Norway's largest newspaper) contacted the FBI asking about Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Epstein's flight logs. FBI New York forwarded the inquiry internally (EFTA00147994). The Crown Princess's Epstein connection was first reported by Dagens Næringsliv (December 2, 2019). The story resurfaced publicly after the January 2026 DOJ release; in March 2026, she told NBC News (March 20, 2026): "I was manipulated and deceived."

The Pattern: Access Broker

Across the full decade, a consistent architecture emerges. Epstein did not merely collect powerful contacts — he connected them to each other, and specifically to financial institutions:

The JPMorgan pipeline:
- Epstein → Mandelson → Staley (Davos, Shanghai, Congo mining, Dodd-Frank)
- Epstein → Blair → Staley ("tony blair can lead that charge")
- Epstein → Remmert/Sarkozy → Staley ("Who is the woman helping Sarkozy?")
- Epstein → Barak → Staley (multiple confirmed meetings)
- Epstein → Sultan bin Sulayem → Staley (island meeting)

The Rothschild pipeline:
- Epstein → Colom → Sarkozy circle
- Epstein → Colom → Le Maire
- Epstein → Ariane → Barak → Sarkozy (January 2014 dinner proposed; unconfirmed)

The Bannon pipeline (2018–2019):
- Epstein → Bannon → Barak (confirmed meeting, February 2019)
- Bannon discussed Salvini/Grillo/Berlusconi meetings with Epstein (March 2018)
- Bannon floated Front National conference address; Epstein advised against

Each political figure provided Epstein with something different: Mandelson provided UK government and Chinese banking access. Sarkozy's circle provided French G20 policy intelligence. Barak provided Israeli defense/tech connections. Sultan bin Sulayem provided Gulf port and shipping infrastructure. In return, Epstein provided introductions into major banking circles, especially at JPMorgan — which appear to have helped sustain the environment in which his banking relationships survived.

Not every item in this report represents confirmed brokerage. Some entries show confirmed direct coordination (Mandelson/Staley/Davos, Barak/Sultan bin Sulayem meeting). Others show proposed or attempted introductions (Sultan of Brunei, Berlusconi, Sarkozy/Carla dinner invitation). Still others are third-party descriptions or name-drops (Nikolic reporting who he met at Davos, Brunel forwarding French election results). The distinction matters: a proposed meeting is not a completed one, and a name in an email is not a relationship.

What this pattern does NOT prove: Political introductions for financial institutions are not inherently unlawful. Many contacts occurred post-conviction but before the full scope of Epstein's crimes was publicly understood. The question the USVI litigation addressed was not whether introductions occurred, but whether JPMorgan continued the relationship specifically because of them. The pattern suggests Epstein's value to JPMorgan was tied in significant part to these political connections, but it does not by itself prove that JPMorgan maintained his account solely for this reason.

What's Not Here

The files contain few personal emails before mid-2009 and virtually none before September 2007. The peak period of political access-building (1998–2008) is largely invisible. What survives is the maintenance of relationships, not their origin.

A Note on the Intelligence Claim

One document in the files makes a far more dramatic claim than anything else in this report. An FBI FD-1023 (confidential human source report) states that Epstein "belonged to both U.S. and allied intelligence services" [OCR artifact in original: "ichallkbelonged"] (EFTA00090314). This claim, if true, would reframe every relationship documented above — transforming access brokerage into something closer to intelligence operations.

This report does not develop the intelligence thread for three reasons: (1) an FD-1023 records what a source told the FBI, not what the FBI verified — it is a Tier 1 document by provenance but an unverified claim by content; (2) the claim is not corroborated by any other document in the EFTA files; (3) a separate report on Epstein's intelligence connections covers this material in depth (see intelligence/FBI_INTELLIGENCE_INVESTIGATIONS.md). The FD-1023 is listed in Appendix A for completeness, but readers should not treat an unverified source claim as established fact.

Appendix A: Key Documents

Appendix B: Source Reliability

• TIER 1 (court filings, sworn testimony, FBI reports): USVI v. JPMorgan depositions (Dimon, Staley), SDNY 404(b) letter, Maxwell trial FedEx invoices, FBI FD-1023 (provenance only; content unverified — see "A Note on the Intelligence Claim"), victim testimony (Mitchell, Richardson). These carry the highest evidentiary weight.
• TIER 2 (authenticated correspondence): Emails from FBI-extracted devices, FedEx invoices, conference records, contact databases.
• TIER 3 (flagged): The 2025 mass-complaint emails to FCA (unverified sender). "Peggy" social diary (provenance unclear). News clippings embedded in court filings.
• Conflict Note: Jamie Dimon testified he never met Epstein. Lesley Groff's February 26, 2010 email schedules a joint evening for Mandelson, Staley, and Dimon at Epstein's house. Both are presented without resolution.

Appendix C: Public Fallout After the January 2026 Release

Point-in-time snapshot as of March 28, 2026. This section reflects developments known at the time of writing and will not be updated in real time. Verify current status independently before citing.

• Peter Mandelson: Fired as UK Ambassador September 11, 2025 (NPR). Met Police opened criminal investigation (misconduct in public office) February 3, 2026 (NPR). Arrested February 23, 2026, released on bail (CNN). ITV uncovered first photo of Andrew, Mandelson, and Epstein together March 13, 2026.
• Prince Andrew: Arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office (CBS News, February 19, 2026).
• Sultan bin Sulayem: Removed as DP World chairman February 13, 2026 (Bloomberg, CNN).
• Crown Princess Mette-Marit: Norwegian Storting voted to establish independent Commission of Inquiry (NBC News, March 20, 2026).
• Ehud Barak: The EFTA documents newly quantified 36+ visits to Epstein's properties 2013–2017, including an apartment at 301 East 66th Street referred to internally as "Ehud's apartment." Barak addressed his Epstein ties publicly (Haaretz, February 13, 2026). The general relationship was previously reported by Daily Beast (August 2019); what the files added was the documented scope.
• Ariane de Rothschild: Edmond de Rothschild Group announced it would monitor her Epstein links (Bloomberg, February 25, 2026). On March 20, 2026, French anti-corruption authorities raided the bank's Paris offices in an Epstein-linked probe targeting former UN diplomat Fabrice Aidan on charges of passive corruption of a foreign public official. Rothschild was present during the search. The bank said it is "cooperating fully with the judiciary" (CP24/Reuters).

Report based on the full EFTA document set (2.91M pages, 12 DOJ datasets + DS98/DS99). All EFTA citations verified against the database. External reporting URLs included inline. Generated March 28, 2026.