Bombshell Prince Andrew book edited to remove Epstein claim about Melania Trump

A new royal book about Prince Andrew has been edited to remove a claim that the late Jeffrey Epstein introduced US President Donald Trump to his wife, Melania. The allegation was published in around 60,000 copies of 'Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York' by Andrew Lownie.

It comes after Melania Trump threatened to sue Hunter Biden for claiming that Epstein introduced her to her future husband. Lawyers representing Melania wrote to Mr Biden, the son of the former US president Joe Biden, accusing him of making "false, defamatory, disparaging, and inflammatory statements". The letter also stated Mr Biden should retract his statements and issue an apology or face a $1bn (£726m) legal action.

Mr Lownie's book made a similar claim, quoting allegations said to have been made by Epstein to an unidentified author in 2007, as stated in the Telegraph. The passage will be deleted from future print editions, while the ebook and audiobooks have been updated to reflect the changes.

A HarperCollins UK spokesman said: "We can confirm that several passages from Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York by Andrew Lownie have been removed in consultation with the author.

"Entitled is published in the UK by HarperCollins. In the US, the book is self-published by Mr Lownie."

Entitled was released in the UK on August 14, with extracts serialised in the Daily Mail. The book description reads: "It charts Andrew's record in the Falklands, his business activities and reveals details of how the couple have been able financially to sustain their extravagant lifestyles. It also recounts the full story of the Yorks' links with Jeffrey Epstein."

Lownie claims that although Andrew claimed to have met Epstein in 1999, "the truth is he and his ex-wife Sarah had known the financier for almost a decade by then". The book adds that the Duke of York was "a useful idiot" to Esptein, "who gave him respectability, access to political leaders, and business opportunities".

Trump said in response to the claims last week about how he met his wife: "Jeffrey Epstein had nothing to do with Melania and introducing. I mean I can tell you exactly how it was and it was another person actually... but it wasn't Jeffrey Epstein."

Mrs Trump described the moment she met her husband in her 2024 memoir, Melania. She revealed she was at a Fashion Week party at the Kit Kat Klub in New York in 1998 when she saw her friend wave to someone behind her.

"When I turned around, I noticed a man and an attractive blonde woman approaching us," she wrote. "'Hi, I'm Donald Trump,' the man said when he reached my table."

She said that Mr Trump made her feel like "the centre of his world" and that she was "captivated by his charm and easy-going nature".