Ghislaine Maxwell made a shocking joke about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and “five redheads”, in which she also referenced his children, it is claimed, after the release of new Epstein files. The email between an address named “The Invisible Man” and Maxwell in August 2002, is among more than three million documents published by the US Department of Justice on Friday relating to disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

It has been suggested that The Invisible Man mentioned in the newly released files may be Andrew after Maxwell refers to him by his name and mentions his former wife, Sarah Ferguson’s name. In the email from 2002, Maxwell appears to reply to Andrew’s statement that he won’t be travelling across the pond but will spend time with his family instead, saying: “No problem, (redacted), who is now coming and 5 other stunning red heads will all just have to play with ourselves.”

The exchange begins with an email signed “A”, who said: “As the planning is getting more difficult over the bank holiday weekend here I am thinking now I might join Sarah and the kids in Sotogrande for a few days which would be very important and a good thing for the girls, rather than trek across the pond.

“Please will you give me permission to do so and I am conscious of the ‘better offer’ syndrome but in this case it wouldn’t be that… I think!”

In her reply dated August 24 2002, Maxwell said “Andrew sweet heart – I fully understand if you want to spend time w/Sarah and the kids. I will not be remotely offended – sad not to spend time w/you and sad not to see you but at this point w/precious holidays and few days off I agree that this idea of coming to the Island looks less appealing.”

In a follow-up email sent on August 25 2002 after The Invisible Man confirmed he would not be coming, Maxwell said: “No problem, (redacted), who is now coming and 5 other stunning red heads will all just have to play with ourselves.”

In a reply on August 27, The Invisible Man said: “Look forward to catching up with you before you disappear to some exotic place and please don’t catch anything nasty on your travels!

“Masses of love and thanks, A xxx”

The documents were released following a series of disclosures in December, including an email sent from Balmoral signed “A”, which asked Maxwell for “inappropriate friends”.

In one email, with no context attached to the document, Maxwell writes to The Invisible Man: “It is the year 2032, and a father and his son walk the streets of lower Manhattan.

“Approaching the site where the (World Trade Centre) used to be in the end of the 20th century, the father sighs and comments, ‘to think that right here used to be the Twin Towers…’

“The son, not understanding, asks his father: ‘What are the Twin Towers?’

“The father smiles and looks at the son, and explains, ‘The Twin Towers were two huge buildings that used to be here until 2001, when the Arabs destroyed them’.

“The son looks up to his father, and asks, ‘And what are the Arabs?”‘

In an email in March 2003, The Invisible Man writes about feeling isolated and frustrated, and Maxwell replies calling him her “best friend”.

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing, and being mentioned in the Epstein files does not in itself suggest wrongdoing.

His representatives have been contacted for comment.