In a podcast episode covering the Royal Family’s relationship with the US, including the impact of the Epstein Files, the London bureau chief of The New York Times claimed we may not have “seen the whole drama play out”
14:59, 30 Nov 2025Updated 15:00, 30 Nov 2025
According to Mark Landler, we may not have “seen the whole drama play out”
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
King Charles’ “difficult decision” to “go all the way” by stripping Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor of his titles could be due to the impending release of the Epstein Files, an expert has claimed. In a recent episode of the The Royals with Roya and Kate podcast, Roya Nikkhah, royal editor for the Sunday Times, explored the US’ relationship with the Royal Family, including the impact of the files.
It refers to the imminent, congressionally mandated release of an trove of documents that pertains to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York prison cell in 2019.
In October, Andrew, who has consistently denied the allegations against him, announced that he would give up his titles, including Duke of York (he was also later stripped of his ‘prince’ title), after facing media scrutiny over his links to the disgraced financier.
According to Mark Landler, London bureau chief of The New York Times, however, we may not have “seen the whole drama play out”. Indeed, he claimed that there will “probably be more” and that the contents of the Epstein files “will be embarrassing”.
The Epstein Files pertain to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein
(Image: Corbis via Getty Images)
In relation to US President Donald Trump recently signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act, Roya asked what “might that change” and what the public can expect to “come out”.
In his analysis, Mark went on to allege: “I think we will see more; I actually think that we may see more on Andrew, which may explain why King Charles made the difficult decision to go all the way when he did.
“I think some of that was anticipatory; they probably do worry about things that have yet to be disclosed. What they are, we don’t know yet. We will find out eventually. I mean, there’s a lot going on in the US.”
He claimed that the United States Department of Justice has opened a “separate new investigation” of Epstein, something which he says could enable it to gain a pretext to “hold on” to the documents for longer.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor pictured with his brother, King Charles
(Image: Getty Images)
Mark added: “So I’m not sure we’ve seen the whole drama play out, but yes, there will probably be more. It will be embarrassing, and I think people in institutions like Buckingham Palace are trying to get ahead of it.”
In other revelations, Royal author Andrew Lownie, who penned the book Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, alleged that Epstein made plans to hire a hitman to kill Andrew and his former wife, Sarah Ferguson.
Speaking to the Daily Beast podcast, Lownie said: “He spoke to a hitman who was a former member of the British SAS and said he wanted the Yorks dead.
“He wanted to remove them. I’ve been told this by two reliable sources, one in Paris and a former FBI agent in Florida, and I can believe it’s true.”
He conceded that the late sex offender said “all sorts of things” and you “can’t always believe” what he said, but added: “But I think he was very nervous before he died. It’s extraordinary and like a scene from The Day of the Jackal – but nothing about this saga is normal.”
The Mirror has approached Buckingham Palace for comment.