LONDON

The British ambassador to the US once called Jeffrey Epstein his "best pal," according to a letter in an alleged "birthday book" that has been released by US lawmakers.

In the message for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003, Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador in Washington, DC, described the disgraced financier as an "intelligent, sharp-witted man" who "parachuted" into his life.

The existence of Mandelson's note was first reported by the Wall Street Journal in July, when the newspaper published details of the alleged birthday note.

An official spokesperson for Mandelson told the BBC that he "has long been clear that he very much regrets ever having been introduced to Epstein."

Mandelson was appointed UK ambassador to the US in December 2024.

Democrats in Congress released copies of the so-called "birthday book" after the documents were subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee last month.

The "birthday book" was put together by Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's British co-conspirator and ex-girlfriend, who was convicted in 2021 of conspiring to traffic girls for sex.

The note was dated three years before allegations of sex abuse by Epstein became public in 2006.

Mandelson's spokesperson said that his connection to Epstein "has been a matter of public record for some time," as quoted by the BBC.

The spokesperson also cited the British diplomat's previous comments he made to the Financial Times, in which he expressed regret over meeting him or being introduced to him by his partner Maxwell.

Jeffrey Epstein case

Jeffrey Epstein, who was on trial for sexually abusing dozens of girls under the age of 18, the youngest of whom was 14, and for running a prostitution network, was discovered dead in his cell at New York's Manhattan Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019.

Famous names in the Epstein case files included Prince Andrew, US President Donald Trump, former US President Bill Clinton, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, former US Vice President Al Gore, actor Kevin Spacey, singer Michael Jackson, illusionist David Copperfield, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), along with the US Department of Justice, has recently made headlines for its investigation into the documents known as the "Epstein files." Attorney General Pam Bondi stated that thousands of images of Epstein had been examined.

As a result of the investigation, it was revealed that no evidence was found to prove the existence of a "client list" of famous names, and that Epstein, who was alleged to have been killed in a cover-up for complicity in the crimes of government officials, celebrities, and business people, actually committed suicide in his cell.

American journalist Tucker Carlson also claimed that Epstein "worked for Israel, and that everyone in Washington thinks the same way but cannot say it openly."

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) claimed that Epstein's girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, asked acquaintances to write letters to him on the occasion of his 50th birthday, one of which was from Trump.