Richard Branson famously co-founded the Virgin Group in 1970, which grew over the next 50 years to include the Virgin Atlantic airline, Virgin Trains and the Virgin Rail Group, the Virgin Galactic space tourism company, and crucially here for us at Paste, Virgin Records—one of the most predominant music labels of the past half-century, having signed everyone from the Rolling Stones to the Sex Pistols to Taylor Swift. While Virgin Records is no longer under Branson’s direct control (he sold the label to Thorn EMI in 1992, before Universal Music Group acquired it in 2012), it is still heavily associated with the English business magnate; it, like all other Virgin companies, features a quote from Branson himself at the bottom of its webpage: “Embedding purpose into your business will help it to stand out, and align it with customers who have the same values.”
Like many business magnates in this day and age, Branson has already faced scrutiny over his treatment of women. In 2017, Joss Stone backing singer Antonia Jenae accused Branson of sexually assaulting her on Necker Island. Janae alleged: “We were by the bar and he was saying bye to everyone. He came up to me and put his face in my breasts. He went ‘brrrrrr’ and just walked away. It was surreal, totally out of the blue. Joss and I were like, ‘What the hell was that?!’ Everyone was wondering why I wasn’t angry because I’m usually a firebrand. But I was just too shocked.” A spokeswoman for Virgin Management denied this: “Everyone appeared to enjoy their time on the island. Richard has no recollection of this matter and neither do his family and friends, who were with him on the island at the time. There would never have been any intention to offend or make anyone feel uncomfortable in any way and Richard apologises if anyone felt that way during their time on the island.”
While there has been coverage of Richard Branson’s inclusion in the files, much of it revolves around the same few quotes (an understandably eye-catching reference that Branson made to Epstein’s “harem” in 2013, as well as Branson’s offer of public relations advice to the then-already-convicted sex offender) and the official statement that was given to The Independent by Branson’s PR team. When Paste asked for comment for this piece, the Virgin Group again sent the same statement:
“Any contact Richard and Joan Branson had with Epstein took place on only a few occasions more than twelve years ago, and was limited to group or business settings, such as a charity tennis event. When Epstein offered a charity donation, the Bransons asked their team to carry out due diligence before accepting the donation, which uncovered serious allegations. As a result of what the due diligence uncovered, Virgin Unite did not take the donation and Richard and Joan decided not to meet or speak with Epstein again. Had they had the full picture and information, there would have been no contact whatsoever—Richard believes that Epstein’s actions were abhorrent and supports the right to justice for his many victims.”
The spokesperson then went on to provide us with the same explanation of Epstein and Branson’s relationship that was previously shared with The Independent. Essentially, the basic story is that Epstein and Branson had only minimal contact, limited primarily to two “brief business meetings on Necker Island” in April and September 2013, neither of which Branson actually invited Epstein to, and that Branson “had no knowledge of the crimes that have since come to light.” However, a careful review of the released files produced discrepancies between the emails themselves and the official statements the Virgin Group gave to the press.
None of the three sets of statements supplied by the Virgin Group make any mention of an official in-person meeting between Epstein and Branson prior to April 2013. However, in the emails, we see Epstein himself apparently discussing one such meeting as early as January 2006, seven years prior to the first meeting Branson’s spokesperson mentioned. As Epstein wrote to Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner on January 10, 2006: “sorry I missed you…. I met with Richard Bransn, who is working on creating what he terms an elder statesman council of the world… and asked who I thought might be appropriate… I told him i have no idea but he should contact you and inquire , about your work on trustees.”
January 7, 2011: Epstein and Branson have breakfast and cultivate a friendship
Neither the first nor the second statement supplied by the Virgin spokesperson referenced any meetings prior to 2013. The following is all that the spokesperson acknowledged in their third response: “In January 2011, Bill Richardson attended a Virgin Unite event on Necker Island. Following the event, records indicate that Richardson was collected by Epstein’s helicopter and these travel arrangements were organised by Richardson’s office.”
This itself seems to all be true, although Branson’s team (namely, Nicola Elliott, who was at one point Branson’s Executive Assistant) did play a role in facilitating this as well. On December 28, 2010, Bill Richardson’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Janis Hartley, contacted Elliott to inform her that “Jeffrey Epstein has volunteer [sic] to pickup the Governor at Necker Island on Friday, January 7th.” The two then went on to coordinate the specifics of the pick up.
On January 7, 2011, two important exchanges occurred: First, Epstein emailed the British politician and diplomat Peter Mandelson (who, it is worth noting, has been summoned to testify before the US Congress regarding his own ties to Epstein at this very moment) to say he “had breakfast with richard branson, he is also a big fan of africa.” Mandelson replied, inscrutably, “Let’s go for it.” Later that day, Epstein emailed Branson himself with a vaguely ominous-sounding message under the subject heading “a treat”: “dear neighbor, thanks for your hospitality this morning. Though its a little late to find new friends. I hope you and I can also meet that challenge.” Branson replied on January 10 with: “Dear Jeffrey, I’m sure we will. All the best, Richard.”
These emails suggest that what occurred on January 7 was not just Richardson being “collected by Epstein’s helicopter,” as the Virgin Group’s statements attest. Rather, it seems Branson and Epstein had a friendly breakfast, one that went well enough for Epstein to reach out to tell Mandelson about it, and for Epstein and Branson themselves to exchange warm (albeit oddly phrased) emails about the relationship that was formed.
Early 2011: Ongoing contact between Epstein and Branson, largely initiated by Epstein
For the next two or so months, Epstein contacted Branson frequently about his desire to get together, but Branson was never available. On January 13, Epstein told Branson he’d be in New York mid-month and Paris later if Branson was around; Branson was not, due to a leg injury. (Despite the apparent innocence of this exchange, Epstein then reassured Branson that “at the bottom of my emails I have always added a copyright notice. It gives great pause to publications that might get hold of them someday”). The next day, January 14, Epstein asked Branson if he wanted some company on Necker; Branson responded: “Dear Jeffrey, Sorry, would love to have done but had to go to Europe in the end. Love to the girls! Best, Richard.” Epstein told Branson he would be in Paris for the next week on January 21, but Branson was “sadly in San Diego.” On February 18, Epstein wrote Branson to say “fun people on the island,, both types,,are you here” but Branson “[v]ery sadly” was not.
It is, of course, worth emphasizing that none of these emails indicate wrongdoing on Branson’s part, as he seemingly declined to meet with Epstein on any of these occasions. However, it is also worth emphasizing that there are multiple phrases throughout these emails that cast some doubt upon the Virgin Group’s insistence that Branson was utterly ignorant of Epstein’s doings. Virgin’s statements make it seem as though Branson did not know Epstein personally at this point, with the extent of their contact being Epstein picking up Richardson from Necker Island. And yet, as early as 2011, Epstein tried to coax Branson to come visit with the promise of “both types” of “fun people on the island,” and, more damningly, an unprompted Branson signed off with the phrase “Love to the girls!”
April 14, 2013: The first “business meeting” on Necker Island
Four confirmed in-person meetings between Epstein and Branson occurred in 2013—one in April, one in September, and two in November (although neither of the November meetings were included in the spokesperson’s initial response to Paste’s inquiry). It is perhaps best to begin this section by quoting the statement that Paste received exactly: “There were two brief business meetings on Necker Island in April and September 2013 and Epstein was invited to both of those meetings via a US entrepreneur who brought Epstein to the island.” This is the only reference to the April meeting whatsoever. There is additional information written about the September interaction—because of the subsequent email Branson sent to Epstein about his “harem”—but all one can garner from the Virgin spokesperson’s claim about the April encounter was that it 1) was “brief,” 2) was a “business meeting,” 3) was with a US entrepreneur, who was the only reason Epstein came along, and 4) was presumably their first in-person meeting, as no earlier ones were ever mentioned (despite the evidence already mentioned above).
That is important to break down, because most aspects of those claims do not appear to be supported by Epstein’s emails themselves. The released files indicate that the meeting may not have been particularly “brief”: an email from Epstein to one of his victims sent the following day (April 15) discusses how he “spent the day yesterday with Branson on his island” (emphasis added). Additionally, Epstein emailed Nikolic at around 7 p.m. on April 14, shortly after leaving Branson’s island, to talk about the “great fun” he had on Necker (an unusual phrase to use in reference to a “business meeting”) with a photo attached, although the photo itself is not visible in the file. The next day, he invited Branson “to come visit. No question is silly we can spend quiet time,” which additionally suggests their relationship was not strictly business-related. There are also myriad emails referring to the “meeting” in the vein of a social lunch or get-together, and none that use the word “meeting” or “business.”
Essentially, this “meeting” was actually between Epstein, Branson, Segway inventor Dean Kamen, and Kamen’s friend, O3b Networks founder Greg Wyler—as well as a last minute add-on of Bill Gates’ assistant Boris Nikolic and Jenn Kalin, an Epstein victim and/or associate who ended up in a sham marriage with Epstein’s girlfriend Karyna Shuliak and has been accused of being a major recruiter of victims for Epstein by Maria Farmer, the first person to report Epstein to the FBI back in 1996. (It seems Nikolic did not end up making it to the meeting, though.) There were also, crucially, two other guests, both of whom remain fully redacted in all emails—yet we do know, per an email from Groff to Branson and his personal assistant Helen Clarke, that they were “2 Russian girls.”
The “US entrepreneur” in question was likely Kamen himself—but to suggest, as the statement does, that Kamen invited Epstein, who had little stake in being involved, is not supported by the record. An email thread between Kamen and Epstein from April 9 sees Kamen talk about his upcoming trip to see Epstein, mentioning that he’s also been invited to visit Branson. Epstein then encourages him to “invite branson to visit” and says—notably—“ive been to him a couple of times.” To be clear: when asked by Paste if the April 14 meeting was the very first meeting between Epstein and Branson, the Virgin spokesperson then acknowledged two instances of indirect interaction (a landscaper for Epstein touring Necker Island in 2006, and Richardson being picked up by Epstein’s helicopter in 2011) and nothing else, heavily implying that the first in-person encounter between the pair was, indeed, on April 14, 2013. Yet it seems that meeting only happened because, based on Epstein’s own words, Branson had already hosted Epstein on his island multiple times.
On April 11, Epstein himself emailed Branson: “dean kamen is staying with me sat , come visit, it is long overdue.” Epstein was then told that Branson “is unable to come to your island because he has guests, but he wants to extend an invitation to you for lunch on Sunday.” In short: it is clear that Epstein was not brought to the island by a US entrepreneur; rather, he was explicitly invited by Branson himself.
One especially telling detail is omitted from the spokesperson’s account: there are very clear records of “2 Russian girls” being in attendance at what was allegedly a business meeting, and of Branson knowing about this and agreeing to it prior to Epstein and co’s arrival. On April 14, Groff told Clarke that “Jeffrey will come along with Dean, Greg, and [REDACTED]. The 2 Russian girls, [REDACTED] and [REDACTED] don’t have UK visas.” All Clarke said in response was “Many thanks Lesley” and then the lunch went forward, despite Branson and his people knowing “the 2 Russian girls” would be attending as well.
The aftermath of this “meeting” further suggests that this was a social get-together, not a “business meeting.” On April 16, Groff extended a formal invitation to Clarke for Branson to come to Epstein’s island. The two seemingly had a phone call (obviously not recorded in the files), as Clarke responded “per our phone call, Richard is hosting guests on Necker this week so more than likely won’t be able to make it over to see Jeffrey. However, if anything changes, I will send you an email.” On April 20, Branson responded to the invite from Epstein and said he’s sadly away for a month, but wants to get together when he’s back. Epstein said he’s “look[ing] forward to it.” If nothing else, it seems evident that a friendship had developed between the two.
May to July 2013: Further contact
Epstein invited Branson to his island three times across the next three months. On May 14, Epstein asked Branson if he was coming to the Caribbean any time soon; Branson said he’s “sadly travelling almost non-stop for the next 6 weeks. Foolish!” Epstein replied, “shame.” On June 16, Epstein invited Branson to meet Joi Ito, “the head of mit media lab,” on July 4 at the island, and Branson said that if he’s in the Caribbean he’d be there, although he “may have to go to Europe for a Drug Commission meeting. Will let you know the second I know.” There is no further communication in the emails on this front, so it remains unclear whether or not they met up; as phone calls have already been established as a means of setting up get-togethers between the pair (or, at least, their respective assistants), it seems possible this one did come to fruition, although there’s an equal chance it did not materialize. Finally, on July 5, Epstein invited Branson again. Branson said “Sadly in Morocco.” Epstein replied “happy in caribean [sic]”
September 10, 2013: The second “business meeting” on Necker Island
Once again, it is perhaps best to begin this section by quoting from the statement Paste received exactly: “At the second business meeting, the US entrepreneur visited Richard and Joan with his family. He said that Epstein would drop them off in his helicopter and Epstein arrived with three members of his team (who he later called his ’harem’). The three adult women did not attend the meeting and instead spent time socialising with the sports team on the island. ”
This meeting seems to have unfolded similarly to the April one: a US entrepreneur was involved (this time, just Greg Wyler), but the invitation to Epstein was once again extended by Branson himself. On September 6, Wyler asked Epstein if Wyler could charter Epstein’s helicopter to bring his family to Branson’s place; on September 7, Epstein said he could pick up Wyler in the morning, they could hang out, and then they’d fly Wyler to Branson’s island in the late afternoon. On the morning of September 9, Epstein told Wyler he’d be there at 11:30—”plus 3” guests. Wyler confirmed that the total in the helicopter, with his family in addition to Epstein, Epstein’s three “guests,” and the pilot, would be eight. Wyler then informed Epstein that “Richard asked if you wanted to stay for dinner.” Once more, Branson was the one to explicitly invite Epstein to Necker.
It is true that Wyler arrived with his wife and two kids; there are many emails between Epstein, Wyler, and Branson that corroborate this. Of course, though, the most important aspect of this meeting is the attendance of the “three members of [Epstein’s] team (who he later called his ‘harem’).”
In the early afternoon of September 9, Wyler told Branson’s assistant that Epstein accepted the dinner offer. Epstein then gave Wyler information about his guests to forward to Clarke: “[Redacted], [Redacted], and [Redacted]. russian ( you’ve met ), ukrainioan [sic] you havent and swiss.” In another file, Epstein clarified the plan with Wyler: “this leaves 8 passengers, though two are children, ? me [Redacted], [Redacted], and [Redacted], (the girl you are picking up tonight).” Clarke also received an email from Groff confirming the same, meaning Branson was well-aware of all of this. It likely goes without saying, but it’s unusual for someone to refer to their “team members” by their ethnicities alone, and for one of those “team members” to be “the girl [their friend is] picking up tonight.”
But speculation is not necessary here. It is crucial to note that the “the girl you are picking up tonight” email linked is a redacted copy of an unredacted file that can be found elsewhere; Paste came across a version of that email thread with the three victims’ names fully visible. As a result, we were able to do further research into those names, all three of which appeared frequently in Epstein’s emails and were very clearly victims. However, in the hope of preserving their privacy—something the DOJ, horrendously, did not seem to prioritize—Paste will not be naming them in this article, nor linking to the version of the email that includes their names.
Based on the available records, it is clear that the three women who attended this meeting were victims. For instance, Daniel Siad, modeling scout and trafficker for Epstein, first introduced one of the “girls” to Epstein on July 9, 2013, sending a picture of her and some information (she had recently turned 21, she was from Switzerland, and so on). She was flown to and from the island, Paris, and other places Epstein inhabited throughout 2013 and 2014. There are many records of “appointments” made with her. In one email, Epstein asked her “What was your perfume that I liked”; in another, she begged him to try to get her mother a job in the United States; in another, Epstein asked when her school orientation ended so she could fly to him. This is the “girl” with the fewest emails of the three. The other two have many more, some of which were much worse (one of the other “girls” was sent to dieticians, hair removal experts, and acne doctors to please Epstein; was frequently trafficked out to New York Giants chairperson Steve Tisch; was told by Epstein he’d get her hired as a model only for him to not follow through; etc.). Again, while these emails are all publicly available, Paste will not link directly to them out of respect for the victims’ privacy.
They may not have been minors—apart from the 21-year-old, we could not find specific mentions of age—but they were undoubtedly 1) victims of Epstein and 2) present at the social meeting with Branson. They were, in no uncertain terms, members of Epstein’s literal “harem,” which makes it all the harder to fully accept he defense that Branson simply had no idea and, as his press team asserts, just-so-happened to use that unfortunate term to refer to them in a subsequent email to Epstein.
The Virgin spokesperson stated that the three women “did not attend the meeting and instead spent time socialising with the sports team on the island”—and there is evidence that the latter half of that is true. What is less clear, however, is the claim that Epstein, Wyler, and Branson were not also present for that “socialising.” In an email sent on September 30, a man claiming to work for Branson’s tennis program, the Necker Cup, introduced himself to Epstein by saying “We met recently on Necker while kitesurfing with the girls on my back.” If Epstein met this man, who went by Oggie Fitz, while he was “kitesurfing with the girls on [his] back,” the “business meeting” might have been less separate from the women and the sports team than the statement implies. This is particularly likely considering Branson’s history not only as a renowned kitesurfer, but as a man who himself has been frequently pictured kitesurfing with naked or scantily clad women on his back.
The girls likely did socialize, then, with the “boys in Watersports,” as Branson refers to them in the infamous “harem” email on September 11: “Dear Jeffrey, It was really nice seeing you yesterday. The boys in Watersports can’t stop speaking about it! Any time you’re in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!” It just seems very possible that Epstein, Branson, and Wyler were present for that socializing as well.
It is also worth going through the rest of the email exchange on September 11, as it is by far the single interaction between Branson and Epstein that has received the most attention. Epstein first thanked Branson for his hospitality and “public relations thoughts,” then invites him to meet Nobel Peace Prize committee head Thorbjørn Jagland (who is currently under fire for his ties to Epstein). In response, Branson encouraged Epstein to bring his “harem” to their next get-together, then provided—unprompted—more “public relations thoughts” relating to how Epstein ought to get Bill Gates’ recommendation despite Epstein’s very public 2008 conviction as a sex offender: “I think if Bill Gates was willing to say that you’ve been a brilliant advisor to him, that you slipped up many years ago by sleeping with a 17 1/2 year old woman and were punished for it, that you’ve more than learnt your lesson and have done nothing that’s against the law since and, yes, as a single man you seem to have a penchant for women. But there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Here is the full quote from the statement responding to the negative coverage about the exchange:
“In passing, Epstein mentioned he had previously served a prison sentence and framed the situation as consensual with an individual ‘one day shy of 18.’ For a long time, Richard has supported the rehabilitation of ex-offenders, and Richard made a general comment about “moving on” after serving a sentence. Epstein asked Richard for public relations advice as part of that conversation and claimed he (Epstein) acted as an advisor to Bill Gates. Regrettably, Richard used Epstein’s language (‘harem’) in a follow-up email and stated that the sports team were keen for the women to return. However, had the full facts been known, Richard would never have used this term and there would have been no contact with Epstein whatsoever.”
For the record, Epstein had been under investigation for sexually abusing a 14-year-old since 2005; federal officials had identified 36 girls (many of whom were minors) Epstein had raped; Epstein had pled guilty to “procuring for prostitution a girl below age 18” in 2008.” This information was all, at least to Paste’s understanding, public knowledge at the time. Even ignoring the multiple instances throughout these emails that imply some degree of knowledge on Branson’s part of Epstein’s activities, it is hard to imagine Branson did not know the public relations circumstances surrounding the man he was providing public relations advice to.
October 20, 2013: Potential unconfirmed get-together
On October 14, Epstein wrote to Branson, asking “are you around sun the 20th. you are welcome to come to me . or I can visit in the afternoon for a few hours, if not. hope to see you sometine during your tennis program. regards.” Branson replied warmly with: “Dear Jeffrey, Come by on Sunday by all means. We have a group of people on Necker but they all seem to be delightful. Look forward to seeing you during the tennis too. All the best, Richard.” Epstein additionally received an Event Reminder notification on GCal on October 20 that simply read “Richard Branson (Necker Island, [REDACTED]).” It is very possible this was yet another social meeting between the two. None of this was included in any statement.
November 14, 2013: The Necker Cup
The “tennis program” mentioned in the October 14 emails was the Necker Cup, a tennis event co-founded by Branson and hosted on his island. Epstein’s presence at the Necker Cup was omitted in the first Virgin Group response, but after further questioning from Paste (“Does this mean the last time the pair were in contact was in September 2013?”), the spokesperson’s second response included: “Epstein attended the Necker Cup in November 2013, a large charity tennis event run by an external organiser attended by around 150 people. During the brief daytime visit to the Necker Cup, Epstein mentioned that he wanted to sell his island and asked if Richard would be interested.”
The earliest mentions of the Necker Cup in Epstein’s email are all on September 30, 2013, following Fitz’s email telling Epstein of the event. Epstein then sent an email to Branson, reading: “I always feel it a privledge [sic] to be able to contribute to the charitable efforts of my friends. If there is a us 501 c 3. I will gladly do so. – As you recall I have little interest in sports , but will gladly , if appropriate bring some friends that I promise will not be too difficult to look at. just for a few hours , that you could designate . ( im not sure i’ll be in carib at all , but in just in case. otherwise ill just contribute.” Branson responded roughly a week later with “Dear Jeffrey, That’s really kind of you. It should be a fun few days. The dates are 12th-16th Nov. Are you around? Best, Richard.”
While the response from Virgin frames Epstein’s presence at the Necker Cup as impersonal and largely coincidental, the emails clearly demonstrate that Epstein’s only interest in the Necker Cup was due to his pre-existing friendship with Branson himself. In fact, he was actively uninterested in both tennis and the Necker Cup, and even offered repeatedly to donate to the event instead of going to it, but eventually relented, saying that “if richard want[ed],” Epstein would deign to “come for a few hours on one day.” Branson then encouraged Epstein to attend, which he did—again, only because Branson himself invited him (as Branson reiterated on October 14, “Look forward to seeing you during the tennis”). Most importantly, though, Epstein’s initial email to Branson winkingly noted that he’d “bring some friends that I promise will not be too difficult to look at,” and Branson responded to that very email asking Epstein if he would be around to attend the event between the 12th and the 16th.
On October 29, Branson’s assistant asked Groff how many people Epstein was bringing to the Cup and what their names were; Groff responds with four redacted names, likely victims. I say “likely victims” because on November 10, Epstein sent an email to one of the three girls brought to the September meeting (whose name is unredacted in one of the files yet again, but who Paste will not name here; instead, we have linked to an alternate redacted version) that simply read: ““reminder we are goingto branson.” Epstein attended the cup on November 14, and emailed Branson his appreciation after he left, along with an invitation to join him and “woody alien [sic]” over Christmas. Branson replied and thanked Epstein for his “incredible generosity.”
Around that time in 2013: Donation confusion
While not included in the initial statement, the spokesperson’s second response notes that “Epstein offered a £50k charity donation to Virgin Unite. Richard asked his team to conduct due diligence—standard practice before accepting donations. At that time, there was limited, accurate information available and the Virgin team paid for in-depth checks which uncovered serious allegations and Virgin Unite did not take the donation.” In fact, the donation was not denied so much as redirected—to an organization called WildAid—possibly as a means of deflecting potential future blame.
Finally, the statement reads: “As a result of what the due diligence uncovered, Virgin Unite did not take the donation and Richard and Joan decided not to meet or speak with Epstein again.” It is very true that the relationship between the two men petered out quickly after November, at least judging by the fact that Branson only appears rarely in Epstein’s emails following 2013. But questions still remain.
It seems strange that the record shows two subsequent get-togethers between Epstein and Branson that, if Paste has the timeline correct, should have followed the due diligence mentioned in the statement: Virgin Unite redirected the donation to WildAid on November 4, but Epstein and Branson met up twice in the following weeks, with the Necker Cup on November 14 and a lunch on November 29. Additionally, WildAid is not unrelated to Branson; in fact, Branson has served as a prominent ambassador for it since 2011. If the reason Branson distanced himself from Epstein was the “due diligence,” it is unclear why Branson would have recommended Epstein donate to anything Branson was even remotely connected to.
November 29, 2013: Final meeting
The lunch on November 29 was omitted in the spokesperson’s initial response, but was alluded to alongside the Necker Cup once Paste pressed further. That second statement claims: “During the brief daytime visit to the Necker Cup, Epstein mentioned that he wanted to sell his island and asked if Richard would be interested. Richard took a brief real-estate tour in November 2013 which lasted about 90 minutes including lunch, saw nothing of concern and met no one else, apart from Epstein and his chef.”
However, while we have no way of knowing whether Epstein asked Branson if he wanted to buy his island during the in-person Necker Cup, the record suggests that the meeting on November 29 was not primarily a “real-estate tour.” There is extensive communication on both sides planning the lunch, but there is not a single mention of real estate, a tour, selling the island, or anything else—although there’s a lot about lunch itself, including a conversation about what Branson’s preferred foods are. More damning, though, is the initial exchange regarding the get-together: on November 19, Epstein wrote Branson to say “Ill be on island 25-28 ,, you around?” Branson replied the next day with “Dear Jeffrey, Should be on island at that time. The island is booked so might need to come to you for lunch. Or we can find a restaurant. Best, Richard.” If the impetus for this meeting was, in fact, Branson wanting to tour Epstein’s island to consider purchasing it, it seems very strange that Branson implied he would host Epstein on his own island were it not booked, then offered to meet at a restaurant instead.
*****
It does seem clear that Branson eventually distanced himself from Epstein. There are still some sporadic instances of communication across the next five years—an invite to meet Elon Musk and, later, Thorbjørn Jagland; the apparently accidental inclusion of Epstein’s name on a mailing list or two; a warm exchange of emails around a hurricane—but the degree of contact between Branson and Epstein in subsequent years undoubtedly tapered off. That said, it is undeniable that, for a time, peaking around 2013 (five years after Epstein’s initial conviction), Branson and Epstein enjoyed what the New York Times referred to as a “warm, familiar relationship, built at least in part around their interest in women.”
To be clear: there does not seem to be any information in the newly released emails suggesting that Richard Branson committed any criminal acts. However, the discrepancies between the Virgin Group’s statement(s) and Epstein’s email correspondence raise a number of questions about the full extent of the relationship between Branson and Epstein, and to what extent Branson was aware of Epstein’s proclivities and actions regarding women.
The spokesperson for Branson insisted that “they were not friends, any contact was minimal, took place on only a few occasions more than twelve years ago, and was limited to group or business settings.” These comments by Branson’s team downplay and distort the extent and the nature of Branson’s relationship with Epstein. It is evident from the newly released emails that there were more than just two brief “business” meetings, that the meetings were not purely—if at all—business related, that Branson invited Epstein to his island and vice versa on several occasions, that Branson provided Epstein with pro-tips for PR strategies to deflect coverage about the abuse of a minor, and that on at least three occasions (April, September, and the November Necker Cup) Epstein brought young women to Necker Island with Branson’s blessing, and even, in one instance, direct encouragement. The initial statement given to the press maintained that, had Branson “had the full picture and information, there would have been no contact [with Epstein] whatsoever.” While the newly released files do not appear to show that Branson was an active participant in Epstein’s inner circle, the files make the Virgin Group CEO’s claims of ignorance hard to believe.
Casey Epstein-Gross is Associate Editor at Paste and is based in New York City. Follow her on X (@epsteingross) or email her at [email protected].
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