Power and Predators, Money and Monarchy: The Institutional Epstein Disgrace

By: Cianan Sheekey

From Virgin’s Richard Branson to the sitting President of the United States, there are reams of famous names in the now-infamous Epstein files. Far too many names; in the time these words are written and edited, a raft of further revelations will likely have emerged from behind the parapet.  Being named in the files isn’t itself a crime, of course, but it raises damning Watergate-esque questions about conduct in Western institutions.

How did an individual as horrid as convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein become so eerily well-connected? 

Epstein’s global web of quid pro quo friendships was a terrifyingly monolithic institution. There was seemingly no corner of the earth where that man’s grasp failed to reach, and that’s perilous news for the world’s prestigious establishment (and for trust in the ruling classes). In particular, Europe’s royalty, from the UK’s Mountbatten-Windsor to Norway’s Mette-Marit, appeared unable to steer clear. Instead, they were wrapped in long-standing relations with the former New York financier, at best blissfully unaware or, at worst, mortifyingly complicit in Epstein’s heinous crimes. A life of luxury blessed by a regal ‘appointment via God’ wasn’t enough to keep them to more upstanding folk: if there was ever an argument for Republicanism, here bears its ugly head. 

From the perspective of the British royal family, a heralded institution, Mountbatten-Windsor is a harrowing blemish. Questions have long been raised over his conduct, culminating in the loss of his royal titles last October. His calamitous interview with Emily Maitlis springs to mind. The former Prince, while rebutting the accusation that he had sex with a 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre (who has since tragically taken her own life), feigned innocence because he was visiting a local pizza joint. Further, Mountbatten-Windsor’s suggestion that he cannot sweat, thus debunking a narrative Epstein’s girlfriend told of him, has rather fallen apart, given that he denied providing medical documents to support it. Both claims did little to illustrate his innocence to the masses. 

The latest release of files demonstrates how friendly Mountbatten-Windsor and Epstein were, with the pair associating closely even after his conviction for procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution in 2008. This could even have included a 2010 visit by Epstein to Buckingham Palace, though this remains hazy. Mountbatten-Windsor’s deep involvement in the Epstein affair (and his embarrassingly unconvincing defence pleas) reflects his self-belief of untouchability, highlighting how privilege without accountability can have grave consequences.  

‘Rotten to the core’ remains a linguistic overstep in describing the British Royal family. Mountbatten-Windsor’s lurid shadow does not the night make, though what the affair makes abundantly clear is the need for increased oversight and transparency. This is a pivotal and unprecedented moment for the Royals, and if they do not act accordingly, the institution they represent could well crumble. According to recent YouGov data, a third of Brits disapprove of the Royal family, and if the metaphorical bull is not grabbed by the horns, it's not hard to see that figure climbing, alongside calls for a Republican Britain. 

If the UK Royal family fails to seize the moment, they may end up in a comparable position to that of the Danish monarchs. Following rape accusations aimed at the son of Norway’s crown princess, Marius Borg Høiby, and uncomfortable revelations of the crown princess Mette-Marit’s long-standing relationship with Epstein, understandable outrage has ensued. Though the Norwegian Parliament has decided to stand by their royal family for now, the jury is still out on whether they can survive this crisis, especially if more uncomfortable truths come to light.  

It’s not only royal dynasties that the upturning of the Epstein rock has threatened. Many a democratically elected official, past and present, has been implicated or involved in one way or another. In the UK, the Starmer government has been embroiled in shame due to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US, who stayed close with Epstein even post-conviction. The Prime Minister had to grimly admit he knew of the pair's connections, and that confession almost toppled his government. 

In the US, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Former Democratic President and Secretary of State, respectively, are set to testify before the House Oversight Committee. President Trump has questions that will (eventually) have to be answered, given he’s mentioned in the so-far released files more than 5,000 times, according to The New York Times. The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has been accused of covering up Trump’s involvement with Epstein by Democrats, such as Rep. Jamie Raskin of the House Judiciary Committee, with the President’s MAGA base clamouring for further files as they pursue what they believe is definitive proof of the deep state. It would therefore seem like the writing is on the wall for Trump, but how many times have we said that before? Given his direct control over the DOJ, the Republican Senate, which would fail to ratify impeachment if the House called for it, and the lack of need to maintain popularity (given that he cannot again constitutionally run for President), it’s unlikely much will come of this affair for Trump. 

The Epstein affairs involved figures across both the royal and elected spheres, from Europe and across the pond. The lack of true clarity as to what happened makes it hazy to draw lines of accountability, and many of the allegedly complicit individuals are graced with undue institutional protection. The latter fact is the most harrowing, indicative of the cascading accountability failures the Epstein disgrace has only brought out from behind the political veil. All of these affairs have, understandably, consumed political discourse. In an age of conspiracy, from the Illuminati to the faking of the moon landing, it proves that there are mistruths (and horrors) behind the curtain of affluence and international influence.

While the narratives of victims have been largely ignored for decades, the Epstein files demonstrate the elements of truth behind the idea that the rich, powerful, and morally contemptible exist on a different plane, one we cannot even comprehend, where consequence and accountability appear absent. 

Though they read like a combined work of Orwell, King, and Kafka, the most recent batch of files doesn’t provide us with definitive proof that the rumours of a trafficking ring for the world’s most important (and reprehensible) existed. The FBI seem unconvinced by such claims, but given how this saga will become the modern Watergate from which vast and scathing institutional distrust will derive, I’ll leave you to make what you will of the issue. Regardless, the files we do have still provide evidence of special treatment under the rule of law. The whole affair does. It has been challenging to achieve any real transparency around what happened at what locals referred to as Epstein’s “pedophile island”, reaffirming fears about untouchable elites. Thankfully, it appears the chickens have finally come home to roost, as the public eye is firmly fixed on answers and a righteous conclusion. Hopefully, just retribution will come; while it seems it ought to lie only around the proverbial corner, only time will tell quite how and for whom. 

What makes the Epstein affair even worse is that we have all of these thousands of emails to dig through. Why would one keep such detailed and rigorous documents evidencing various morbid contacts and exchanges? Perhaps the cold, nefarious, but evidently meticulous monster that was Jeffrey Epstein thought he’d never be caught or simply didn’t care to cover his tracks in the event he was. Now, we are left to sift through his papers and emails, which painfully expose a web of conspiracy woven behind the curtains of the world’s penthouses and mansions. It’s hard not to reel in the misery of it all. Perhaps the only relief that can come from all this is the fact that the darkest pit of hell has already swallowed Epstein whole, and plenty more will rightly suffer the same fate in time. 

Or so we can hope.

Image: Wikimedia Commons