Jeffrey Epstein allegedly considered hiring a former SAS operative to assassinate Prince Andrew (Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) and Sarah Ferguson because he feared they possessed damaging information about him, according to royal biographer Andrew Lownie.
Lownie, author of Entitled, which explores the lives of Sarah and Andrew, said Epstein grew increasingly paranoid while awaiting trial in 2019 and believed the couple could expose his crimes.
“He contacted a hitman who had served in the British SAS and said he wanted the Yorks eliminated,” Lownie claimed. “Two reliable sources — one in Paris and a former FBI agent in Florida — confirmed this to me, and I believe it.”
He added, however, that Epstein often made outlandish statements and it is not clear how far the alleged plan progressed. Speaking on The Daily Beast podcast, Lownie described the situation as “extraordinary… like something from The Day of the Jackal, but nothing about this entire saga is normal.”
Lownie also addressed reports that Sarah Ferguson maintained email contact with Epstein. He said the Duchess of York, now 66, was “terrified,” believing her safety and that of her daughters could be at risk due to Epstein’s connections to dangerous individuals.
“She feared for herself and her children. Epstein associated with some very dangerous people, so the fear was real,” he said.
Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019, allegedly worried that the Royal Family would “kill him,” Lownie added.
He concluded: “Epstein became convinced the Palace wanted him dead. And if he hadn’t died when he did, Andrew and Fergie would have been assassinated. In his mind, they knew too much.”
