King Charles is facing fresh embarrassment after a former adviser was dragged into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal — and accused of playing a disturbing role behind the scenes.
Eileen Guggenheim, a powerful figure at the New York Academy of Arts and a longtime royal associate, was named by former student Maria Farmer as the person who allegedly introduced her to Epstein years before he abused her. Newly unsealed Department of Justice records — a staggering three million files and photos — show Guggenheim’s name popping up an eye-opening 207 times, suggesting a relationship far closer than previously known.
Guggenheim has sat atop the academy’s board of trustees for nearly four decades, even as old allegations resurfaced. She also served as vice-chair of the Prince’s Foundation beginning in 2000 and remained an adviser to then-Prince Charles for seven years.
Sources close to the royal household insist King Charles had no knowledge of Guggenheim’s alleged involvement with Epstein. But Farmer’s claims paint a chilling picture: she says Guggenheim joined her on a study trip to Epstein’s infamous Zorro Ranch in New Mexico, where Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell allegedly played sexually charged games around young women.
The DOJ document dump contains emails revealing Epstein’s influence on the academy — and Guggenheim’s willingness to oblige.
Epstein, through his assistants, pushed the school to deliver portraits of his girlfriend Karyna Shuliak and Debra Black, wife of billionaire Leon Black, who has also faced his own misconduct allegations (which he denies). Epstein appeared to be funding the portrait scholarship, and he wanted results.
In May 2014, assistant Lesley Groff wrote: “Jeffrey is asking that I follow up on the portraits… he wants to know when XXXX, Karyna Shuliak and Debra Black will be done.”
Months later, Guggenheim emailed an apology for not sending a student to paint the entrance of Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, promising to find an artist “in the New Year.”
Epstein wasn’t thrilled. His assistant shot back that scholarship recipients had been “very very lax in follow up.”
Guggenheim responded with an over-the-top apology — and in another email bizarrely gushed over a tabloid photo of Epstein, writing: “Stupid Page Six, cute picture of Jeffrey.”
One email from Guggenheim’s assistant references a “generous gift” from Epstein and notes that the academy’s development office had been briefed — a hint at how deeply his donations were woven into the school.
A law-firm report later concluded there was “zero evidence” Guggenheim participated in or knew about Epstein’s abuse, but the released communications show the pair had a warm and active relationship — one the academy has struggled to explain.
When Guggenheim’s Epstein ties were first publicly exposed in 2020, then-NYAA president David Kratz begged for the scandal to be put to rest, saying the saga had drained the school’s time, money, and morale.
Guggenheim has repeatedly denied introducing students to Epstein and insists she had no knowledge of his predatory behavior.
“Had any student expressed to me their personal discomfort over actions by Mr. Epstein, I would have immediately addressed the situation,” she told Page Six at the time.
But with her name embedded more than 200 times in Epstein’s files — and one alleged victim saying Guggenheim personally led her into danger — the questions aren’t going away anytime soon.
