According to files published by the US Department of Justice last Friday, the late financier allegedly donated 50,000 dollars to the conservation charity WildAid in November 2013. At the time, Prince William had recently been appointed as an ambassador for the organisation. The charity has also been publicly supported by King Charles.
The documents reportedly show that the donation was made through Epstein’s charitable foundation, Enhanced Education. There has been no suggestion that Prince William or King Charles were aware of the donation at the time it was made.
WildAid has confirmed that the contribution was publicly listed in its annual report and described it as unsolicited.
Emails and attempts to arrange contact
The controversy has intensified following claims that WildAid staff attempted to arrange contact with Epstein after the donation was received.
Epstein’s contribution came five years after his conviction for soliciting sex from a minor. He was released from prison in July 2009 after serving 13 months of an 18 month sentence.
In January 2014, WildAid’s managing director John Baker allegedly wrote to Epstein’s office thanking him for the donation and proposing a meeting with the charity’s senior leadership, including co founder and executive director Peter Knights. Further emails reportedly followed in February and March of that year, including an invitation to a private dinner in New York.
WildAid has firmly denied that any such meetings ever took place. In a statement, the charity said that no member of its staff or leadership met with Epstein or any of his representatives.
The organisation also stated that the donation was not earmarked for any specific individual or campaign and was used for general operating costs.
Royal involvement and charity response
At the time of the alleged correspondence, WildAid was launching major public awareness campaigns in London focused on ending the illegal trade in wildlife products such as rhino horn, ivory, and shark fin.
Prince William had appeared in public service announcements for the charity alongside high profile figures including David Beckham and Chinese basketball star Yao Ming. WildAid has said those campaigns were funded separately and not connected to Epstein’s donation.
Some of the correspondence reportedly included media coverage of events attended by Prince William and quotations from speeches by then Prince Charles praising the charity’s work.
Kensington Palace has stated that the matter is one for WildAid and declined to comment further. WildAid has reiterated that the donation was unsolicited, fully disclosed, and did not result in any personal engagement with Epstein.
The revelations are part of a wider release of Epstein related documents, which continue to draw scrutiny over the financier’s connections and philanthropic activities prior to his death in 2019.
