Prince Andrew's paedophile acquaintance Jeffrey Epstein reportedly threatened fellow billionaire Bill Gates over an affair the Microsoft tycoon allegedly had with a young woman.
The Microsoft founder, now 67, was 55 - and married - when he is alleged to have met Russian bridge player, Mila Antonova, in around 2010 when she was in her 20s, reports the Mirror.
And just three years later, Epstein was introduced to her, before he decided to fund her studies at a software coding school.
The convicted sex offender - who died in 2019 - emailed Gates two years before his death and requested that he be reimbursed for the cost of the course, according to the Wall Street Journal.
It came after Epstein reportedly failed to convince Gates to participate in a charitable fund.
Those who have seen the communication claim the implication behind it was Epstein could have revealed an alleged affair if Mr Gates did not keep up an association between the two men.
A spokeswoman for Mr Gates said: “He met Epstein solely for philanthropic purposes. Having failed repeatedly to draw Mr Gates beyond these matters, Epstein tried unsuccessfully to leverage a past relationship to threaten Mr Gates.”
Ms Antonova, who declined to comment on Mr Gates, said of Epstein: “I had no idea [at the time] that he was a criminal or had any ulterior motive. I just thought he was a successful businessman and wanted to help.”
She told the Wall Street Journal: “I am disgusted with Epstein and what he did.”
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a jail in the city in 2019 aged 66 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide.
A source told the Mirror : “Epstein kept a treasure trove of information in his safes on his famous friends [as an]... insurance policy.
“It wasn’t just royalty he had over to his place but world leaders and celebs.
“They’ve been left not knowing what his cameras caught. No one was off limits.”
The source added the revelations about the apparent threat to Mr Gates “will send panic” among Epstein’s pals.
Whilst disgraced Andrew was friends with Epstein, the Prince stayed at three of the sex offender's properties.
The FBI later seized hundreds of hours of surveillance footage filmed in Epstein’s homes. One of his victims talked about secret cameras at Epstein’s New York mansion where Andrew stayed.
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