The Duke of York told Jeffrey Epstein they would “play some more soon!” two months after he claimed he cut contact with the convicted paedophile.

The emails were disclosed in a filing by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who are defending an appeal by former Barclays boss, Jes Staley.

Staley is challenging a decision to ban him from the industry for misleading regulators on his ties to Epstein, one of the most severe measures the FCA can impose.

The court documents show an exchange of messages between Epstein and “a member of the British Royal Family” – believed to be Prince Andrew. It suggests the duke and Epstein – who killed himself in jail in 2019 – were in contact for longer than he has previously admitted.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. After his release, Epstein and the duke were photographed walking together in New York’s Central Park, in December 2010.

The prince has claimed this was the last contact he had with Epstein.

In a 2019 interview with Newsnight, Andrew said he visited Epstein in person to tell him they could no longer be friends, believing it was the “honourable” thing to do.

Yet emails between the pair, which were handed to a court in London, show they kept exchanging messages until at least 27 February 2011.

On this date, Andrew emailed Epstein: “Keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”

The disgraced duke has come under fire for his relationship with the paedophile financier. In 2022, he settled a multi-million pound claim with Virginia Giuffre, who said she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the royal.

Andrew stepped down from royal duties and public life and had claimed he never met Ms Giuffre. He agreed to settle the claim without admitting liability.

He has previously strenuously denied all allegations against him.

Newsnight interview ‘ill-advised’ – aide

Other court documents released on Friday revealed one of the prince’s senior aides admitted in a letter to an alleged Chinese spy that the duke’s Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis was “hugely ill-advised and unsuccessful”.

Dominic Hampshire wrote to Yang Tengbo on Buckingham Palace notepaper in March 2020.

In the letter, he said they “have dealt with the aftermath of a hugely ill-advised and unsuccessful television interview”.

Mr Hampshire praised Mr Yang, writing that “in what originally seemed like a lost cause, you have somehow managed to not only salvage but maintain and then incredibly, enhance the reputation of my principal [Prince Andrew] in China.

“Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor; we orchestrated a very powerful verbal message of support to China at a Chinese New Year’s dinner and between the three of us, we have written, amended and then always agreed a number of letters at the highest level possible.”

Mr Yang said in a statement on Friday the spying allegations against him are “entirely unfounded”.

The Jes Staley emails

Emails showed Epstein inviting Andrew to meet Staley on 27 February, saying: “jes staley will be in London on next tue afternoon, if you have time [sic].”

Andrew replied: “Jes is coming on 1st March or next week?”

The pair then engaged in a discussion about press articles, before the duke told Epstein they would “play some more soon”.

Sky News has contacted Prince Andrew for a comment.

The body of a woman has been recovered from the River Dee close to where two missing sisters disappeared in Aberdeen.

Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both aged 32, were last spotted on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday 7 January.

The women were seen crossing the bridge and turning right on to a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.

On Friday, it was confirmed a woman’s body had been recovered from the water east of the club.

Although the body is yet to be formally identified, Police Scotland said the family of Henrietta had been informed.

The force added there were “no apparent suspicious circumstances”, with searches ongoing for Eliza.

The Police Scotland dive and marine unit, along with other specialist officers, are carrying out further searches of the river and the riverbanks between Queen Elizabeth Bridge and Victoria Bridge.

Superintendent David Howieson said: “Our thoughts are with the Huszti family today. We are keeping them fully updated following this recovery and the further search activity which is ongoing.

“Our priority remains finding both of the sisters and search has focused on the River Dee and will do so in the coming days.

“We are carrying out further searches of the river in the area where the body was recovered this morning.

“The river in this area is tidal and conditions are challenging but we will continue to search and make every effort to locate both of the sisters.

“We have sought guidance from a number of experts and this will continue to inform our search activity.”

Investigating officers previously said there had been “no evidence” of the women leaving the immediate area and there had been nothing to suggest “suspicious circumstances or criminality”.

The police revealed that the sisters – who are part of a set of triplets and originally from Hungary – visited the bridge where they were last seen about 12 hours before they disappeared.

They also sent a text message to their landlady on the morning they vanished, indicating they would not be returning to the flat.

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Superintendent Howieson added: “We know how much of an impact this has had in Aberdeen and much further afield.

“We have had a positive response from the public to our appeals and I would like to thank everyone who has already come forward to date.

“I would again urge anyone with any information which could help our investigation to get in touch.”

In a statement released via Police Scotland earlier this month, the family said: “This has been a very worrying and upsetting time for our family.

“We are really worried about Eliza and Henrietta and all we want is for them to be found.”

A former footballer has been recalled to prison.

Leon Jeanne, 44, played for a number of clubs including Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff City, breaking into the QPR first team in 1998.

South Wales Police issued a brief appeal on its Facebook page saying he is wanted back in prison.

It said: “Leon Jeanne, age 44, from Cardiff. Recalled to prison. Give reference 2500002271.”

Former England international Peter Crouch once named Jeanne among the players who didn’t make it to the level he expected.

He told the Daily Mail in 2020 that Jeanne “looked like he could go far but it never happened”.

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In 2015, Jeanne was one of six men convicted of conspiring to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis, and sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Police said a gang of six men plotted to bring hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs into Gloucestershire from London, Cardiff and Birmingham, the BBC reported at the time.

Jeanne’s son, Rafel, was one of three people who died in a car crash in Cardiff in March 2023.

Jeanne’s stint in prison on drug offences was not his last run-in with the law, and he has also faced convictions including dangerous driving and threatening behaviour, Wales Online reported.

Police did not specify why he has now been recalled to prison.