In documents on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein additionally released by the U.S. Department of Justice, signs emerged that Epstein and former Barclays chief executive Jess Staley exchanged messages with sexual undertones about a Snow White costume, reigniting controversy.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 2nd local time, on June 20, 2010, Epstein emailed an unidentified woman saying, "I want to take your picture in a Snow White outfit," and added, "You can get it at a costume shop." The woman replied accepting it, and three weeks later, former CEO Staley wrote Epstein, "It was fun. Say hello to Snow White."
Epstein is also said to have received an email the same day from someone believed to be another woman. The sender likewise mentioned Snow White in the body and used explicit expressions implying sexual intercourse. However, the email did not include other information such as the woman's name or age, and it was not clear whether "Snow White" referred to the same person.
Regarding ties with Epstein, Staley has maintained that "I had no knowledge of his 'monstrous' criminal acts" and that the relationship was kept "for professional reasons." In the emails released, Staley's name did not appear directly as a recipient or in the body. But because the materials show Staley used the term "Snow White" around the same time as Epstein, questions are mounting over Staley's explanation.
Previously, Staley stepped down as Barclays CEO in 2021 over his relationship with Epstein. During its probe into collusion between Staley and Epstein, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) concluded that a letter of explanation Barclays submitted to authorities minimized and distorted the two men's relationship, and on that basis imposed a lifetime ban on Staley from holding senior roles in financial services.
Staley filed a lawsuit last year to overturn the sanction, but it was rejected. The court found that Staley's approval of the letter of explanation Barclays submitted to the FCA was "conduct lacking honesty and integrity." During the trial, Staley also answered that he "does not remember at all" the women who were with Epstein, and indicated regarding the email contents that "I have no idea what it means," according to reports.
Meanwhile, the recently released trove of 3 million pages is said to include numerous emails in which Epstein traded evaluations of a particular woman and young women. One woman who exchanged emails with Epstein wrote, "Milan could be interesting too. The girls there are hungry," and added, "I'll take photos and videos tomorrow," while in another email she gave a detailed description of the personality and environment of a woman she labeled "second - 21."
The documents are stoking a major furor as names of royal figures from Norway and Belgium are mentioned alongside those from the United Kingdom. The name of Crown Princess Mette-Marit, wife of Crown Prince Haakon, first in line to the Norwegian throne, appears more than 1,000 times, while Prince Laurent, younger brother of the king of Belgium, said that although he had ties with Epstein while he was alive, their meetings were only one-on-one. In the U.K., former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson previously sparked outrage after their ties to Epstein came to light.
Global political and business figures are also struggling to hide their dismay. Casey Wasserman, chair of the organizing committee for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Summer Olympics, said in a statement that he "regrets" exchanging emails with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's former companion and accomplice. Miroslav Lajčák, Slovakia's national security adviser, resigned after it emerged he had exchanged text messages with Epstein, and former U.K. industry minister Peter Mandelson has reportedly launched an urgent inquiry.
On the day, U.S. President Donald Trump again stressed that he had no ties with Epstein. Trump posted on Truth Social, "I do not have ties with Epstein, and the radical left's futile wish ends here." He added, "I will sue the slanderers," and lambasted, "Corrupt Democrats and their donors went to Epstein's island."