THE EPSTEIN CLASS

Former Prince Andrew was arrested. Bill Gates backed away from a speech. For these power players, the Epstein walls are closing in

Eva Roytburg
Thu, February 19, 2026 
FORTUNE

A photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is displayed as U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee, Feb. 11, 2026.

(Win McNamee—Getty Images)

Since the Justice Department released the latest tranche of Jeffrey Epstein’s emails, a number of political and business leaders have come under renewed scrutiny for maintaining contact with him long after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

From the arrest of a former royal to billionaires, diplomats, and academics stepping away from public roles, here are the most significant figures facing fallout.

Prince Andrew

British police on Thursday arrested the king’s younger brother, former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, on suspicion of “misconduct in public office.” Authorities said they carried out searches at properties in Berkshire and Norfolk, an escalation from what had previously been described as a review of claims arising from the latest tranche of Epstein-related documents released by the DOJ.

Andrew has long faced allegations tied to his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, most notably from Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s most outspoken accusers, who died by suicide last April. In her posthumously published memoir, Giuffre alleged she was trafficked to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor when she was 17. “He believed having sex with me was his birthright,” she wrote, recalling that afterward Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly told her, “You did well. The prince had fun.” Andrew has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and previously reached a civil settlement with Giuffre without admitting liability.

But the current arrest is not centered on those allegations. Instead, investigators are examining whether Mountbatten-Windsor improperly shared sensitive government material during his tenure as British trade envoy. Emails released by the U.S. Justice Department appear to show him forwarding confidential trip reports and investment briefs to Epstein soon after receiving them. King Charles has signaled that there will be no royal intervention, saying, “The law must take its course.”

Bill Gates

Microsoft cofounder and philanthropist Bill Gates abruptly withdrew from a keynote appearance at India’s high-profile AI Impact Summit just hours before he was set to speak, citing a desire to “ensure the focus remains” on the summit itself.

The latest DOJ tranche includes emails and communications showing that Gates met with Epstein multiple times between 2011 and 2014, several years after Epstein’s Florida conviction. The two discussed philanthropy, including a proposed fund that would have pooled money from Gates and other billionaires to support global health initiatives. That plan ultimately collapsed, and Gates has said he cut off contact after concluding Epstein’s ideas were a “dead end.”

The document release also includes a series of inflammatory claims—including allegations about Gates’ extramarital conduct with “married women” and drug use—that appear in emails Epstein sent to himself. Gates, through the Gates Foundation, has categorically denied those accusations, calling them “absolutely absurd and completely false.” No documents released to date allege that Gates was involved in Epstein’s criminal activity or had knowledge of sex trafficking.

Peter Mandelson

Peter Mandelson’s Epstein exposure, like the former Prince’s arrest, has triggered political fallout in Britain. The former British ambassador to the United States lost his diplomatic post, resigned from the Labour Party, and stepped down from the House of Lords after details of his buddy-buddy relationship with Epstein became clearer after the release of the files.

The DOJ tranche revealed that contact between the two continued for years after the financier’s 2008 prison term, with Mandelson referring to Epstein’s release as “liberation day.”

As with the former Prince Andrew, London’s Metropolitan Police have opened a criminal investigation into whether Mandelson improperly shared confidential government information with Epstein.

Larry Summers

Larry Summers, former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Harvard president, stepped back from multiple public roles after the newly released emails showed he continued communicating with Epstein after the late financier faced sex trafficking charges, often asking him for advice on romantic relationships.

A 2019 email to Epstein showed Summers discussing interactions he had with a woman, writing: “I said what are you up to. She said ‘I’m busy.’ I said awfully coy u are.”

Epstein replied, “You reacted well … annoyed shows caring … no whining showed strength.”

Summers resigned from the board of OpenAI and took leave from Harvard while the university reviewed the ties. He also stepped down from positions at think tanks and saw his contract as a contributing writer at the New York Times end.
Kathryn Ruemmler

Kathryn Ruemmler stepped down as lead counsel of Goldman Sachs last week after the Epstein emails showed she shared nonpublic White House communications with the disgraced financier.

The emails indicate that Ruemmler, who served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama, forwarded Epstein internal material related to the administration’s handling of the 2012 Secret Service prostitution scandal, asking for his input in communicating with reporters. She wasn’t in government at the time, but was still managing the fallout.

Her spokesperson said she “has done nothing wrong” and emphasized that, knowing what she knows now, she would not have interacted with Epstein.
Joichi Ito

Joichi Ito’s resignation as director of MIT’s Media Lab served as an early template for the fallout that has since resurfaced across institutions. In 2019, Ito admitted to concealing financial ties to Epstein and stepped down amid backlash over how donations were handled and characterized.

He resigned from multiple boards and academic posts, setting an early standard for accountability in elite academic circles.

Thomas Pritzker

Thomas Pritzker announced on Feb. 16 that he would retire as executive chairman of Hyatt Hotels Corp., acknowledging what he described as “terrible judgment” in maintaining ties to Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

The latest Justice Department files detail years of cordial correspondence between Pritzker, Epstein, and Maxwell after Epstein’s 2008 conviction. In one message, Pritzker wrote to Epstein about a meeting at the Louvre.

Casey Wasserman

Casey Wasserman announced on Feb. 13 that he has begun the process of selling his talent agency after his name surfaced in the latest Epstein files, triggering defections from high-profile clients like singer Chappell Roan.

The Justice Department documents show that Wasserman flew on Epstein’s private jet at least once, alongside a group that included former President Bill Clinton. The files also contain flirtatious emails exchanged between Wasserman and Maxwell in 2003. In a memo to staff announcing the sale, Wasserman said he regretted that his correspondence with Maxwell had become “a distraction.”

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem

Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem was replaced as chairman and CEO of Dubai-based logistics giant DP World on Feb. 13 after emails between him and Epstein surfaced, showing a close relationship. DP World, owned by Dubai’s royal family, operates one of the world’s largest port and logistics networks, including Jebel Ali, the Middle East’s busiest port.

The newly released emails show Epstein describing bin Sulayem as a “close personal friend” in a 2010 message, and that they often talked about women.

Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversy

Cherylann Mollan; 

Liv McMahon - technology reporter BBC

Fri, February 20, 2026

Gates is currently in India and there was speculation over whether he would attend the summit amid a renewed scrutiny of his ties to Epstein [Getty Images]

Bill Gates will not deliver his keynote address at the India AI Impact Summit in Delhi, his philanthropic organisation said hours before the Microsoft co-founder was due to speak.

The Gates Foundation said the decision was made after "careful consideration" and "to ensure the focus remains on the [summit's] key priorities", but did not elaborate.

Gates's withdrawal comes amid a controversy over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after he was named in new files released by the US Department of Justice in January.

Gates's spokesperson has called the claims in the files "absolutely absurd and completely false", and the billionaire has said he regretted spending time with Epstein.

Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing by any of Epstein's victims and the appearance of his name in the files does not imply criminal activity of any kind.

The Gates Foundation said Ankur Vora, president of its Africa and India offices, would speak at the summit instead of Gates.

The organisation added that it remained "fully committed" to its work in India to advance "shared health and development goals".

Gates's decision to not speak to the summit came after days of uncertainty over whether he would attend.

He is currently in India and had visited the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Monday, where he reportedly discussed initiatives for boosting health, agriculture, education and technology.

After media reports speculated he would pull out of the summit, his foundation said on Tuesday he would deliver the address as scheduled.

Gates's withdrawal is a blow for the summit, which India has pitched as a flagship gathering to position the country as a global AI hub.

The five-day summit features policy discussions, start-up showcases and closed-door meetings on AI governance, infrastructure and innovation.

The event has also seen investment pledges by companies, including Microsoft, to expand AI access and infrastructure in countries such as India.

Delegates from more than 100 countries, including several world leaders, are attending the event.

But it has already been marked by some controversies over mismanagement on the first day and an Indian university's claims to have developed a robot dog - which turned out to be made in China.

AI democratisation calls

Though Gates is not attending, other big names are appearing at the Summit.

OpenAI boss Altman said in a speech the world should "urgently" look to regulate AI.

"Democratisation of AI is the best way to ensure humanity flourishes," he said, adding that centralising the tech in one company or country "could lead to ruin".

"This is not to suggest that we won't need any regulation or safeguards," Altman added.

"We obviously do, urgently, like we have for other powerful technologies."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron made similar calls for AI's democratisation and for a shared approach to innovation.

Modi and Macron are among many world leaders and tech executives speaking at India's AI Impact Summit [Reuters]

Addressing the Summit, Modi said there was a need to share technology "so that humans don't just become a data point for AI or remain a raw material for AI".

"AI must become a medium for inclusion and empowerment, particularly for the Global South," he said.

Macron, who earlier held bilateral talks with Modi, said there was a need to change the discussion around AI from "let's do more" to "let's do better together".

This theme was addressed by other speakers as well, including UN chief Antonio Guterres - who stressed the future of AI should not be "decided by a handful of countries" or left to the "whims of a few billionaires".

Google's chief executive Sundai Pichai underscored India's growing role in the AI landscape.

He said his firm was working on establishing an AI hub in the southern city of Vishakhapatnam, which he said would help bring jobs and cutting-edge AI to Indians.

Billionaire Mukesh Ambani meanwhile pledged to invest $110bn (£81.4bn) over the next seven years to build India's AI ecosystem, while Anthropic boss Amodei said it would like to work with India on "testing and evaluation of models for safety and security risks".

BBC News India 

The Trump team downplayed the Epstein files. Andrew’s arrest and other probes show how rash that was.

Analysis by Aaron Blake, CNN
Thu, February 19, 2026 at 11:38 AM MST



President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House on February 13, 2026. - Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg/Getty Images


In mid-2025, when the Trump administration suddenly felt compelled to downplay the Jeffrey Epstein files, officials said they didn’t have enough evidence to prompt any additional investigations of third parties.

The memo didn’t just say there wasn’t evidence to charge anyone else, mind you; it said there wasn’t even evidence to investigate “uncharged third parties.”

That broad assertion in an unsigned FBI memo has proved to be a rather rash conclusion — most recently and emphatically by Thursday’s arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, in the UK.

While we only know at this stage that Andrew was arrested on suspicion of “misconduct in public office,” the Thames Valley Police previously said they were looking at claims that Andrew shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy in the early 2000s. Andrew has denied all allegations of misconduct related to Epstein, and his name appearing in the files is not evidence of wrongdoing.

And there’s more than just Andrew’s arrest on the international stage. The Epstein files that the administration were ultimately forced to release have proven to be of great interest in Europe, where we’ve seen a criminal charge against another high-profile figure and investigations in at least three other countries besides the UK.

Norway’s former prime minister Thorbjørn Jagland was charged last week with “aggravated corruption” after investigators said they were probing “whether gifts, travel and loans were received in connection with his position.” Jagland has denied “all charges.”

UK police have also searched two properties linked to former ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson, amid accusations of Mandelson sharing market-sensitive government information with Epstein while he was business secretary of the UK.

Norwegian police are also investigating a prominent diplomat.

Prosecutors in Paris opened two new investigations into potential sex abuse and financial wrongdoing related to Epstein on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

Latvia has also opened a human trafficking investigation linked to the files’ release.

A police officer passes the gate of the Royal Lodge in Windsor, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by British police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali) - Alberto Pezzali/APMore

We have yet to see where these investigations lead. The laws in European countries are also different than in the United States. And in some cases, the investigation is not necessarily linked to sexual misconduct — allegations that can be notoriously difficult to prove.

But it’s become clear that authorities in other countries see plenty of potential misconduct unearthed by the files in a way American authorities initially claimed they didn’t, and it’s leading to a reckoning across the pond.

It’s also worth noting that the FBI memo’s assurance has wobbled even domestically.

Despite the assurance that nothing warranted further investigation, Attorney General Pam Bondi nonetheless announced in November that the Justice Department would investigate Epstein’s relationships with prominent Democrats like Bill Clinton. The announcement came after Trump called for such probes. Bill Clinton has repeatedly denied wrongdoing related to Epstein.

Fast forward to last week, when Bondi signaled during testimony to the House Judiciary Committee that more investigations were happening.

Asked “whether another individual will be indicted and prosecuted,” Bondi replied: “We have pending investigations in our office.”

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on February 11, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Bondi is facing criticism over the Department of Justice's handling of the release of the Epstein files. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images) - Samuel Corum/Sipa USA/APMore

Jay Clayton, the US attorney for the Southern District of New York, seemed to throw some cold water on Bondi’s comments Wednesday, suggesting there were no active investigations. But Bondi has now said there were Epstein-related investigations twice since the FBI assured the public that there was no evidence to warrant them.



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Those assurances went beyond the memo, too. In testimony to the House in September, FBI Director Kash Patel said DOJ had released “all credible information.”

Patel added that there were “no investigative leads that were credible to prosecute and investigate any others.” And he suggested the Obama and Biden administrations had agreed with that assessment.

It’s fair to point out that Bondi and Patel are only responsible for enforcing domestic law, and that could have been what the FBI statement was referencing.

Still, Bondi’s confirmations of further domestic investigations are awkward in that context. She’s also repeatedly said things about the Epstein files that seemed convenient in the moment, regardless of how true they were. (Think: supposedly having the Epstein client list on her desk.) There is little evidence of robust investigations involving Bill Clinton or anyone else.

At the very least, the developments of the past few weeks betray the very different views on Epstein accountability between the US and Europe. Prosecutors in the UK and Norway especially seem to feel compelled to hold the powerful accountable, while the Trump administration’s animating principle since the middle of 2025 has been “time to move on” — a view most bluntly conveyed by the president himself, who keeps calling the Epstein files a “hoax.”

The problem with that latter approach is that, in your haste to assure there’s nothing to see here, you can miss something quite substantial. And when you’re forced to release the files you tried so hard not to release, that evidence can undermine your hard-and-fast claims about what it said.

That breeds distrust regarding any future assertions you make about the files — a persistent problem the Trump administration hasn’t been able to shake.