Jeffrey Epstein boasted he escorted Princess Diana to several events, new book claims

Princess Diana and Jeffrey Epstein reportedly went to several events together. Photos / Getty Images

Prince Andrew's friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may have ruined his reputation, but he wasn't the first member of the royal family to have been befriended by the disgraced financier.

A new book has brought to light a previously unknown interview with Epstein during which he claims that he knew Princess Diana personally and went with her to several events, reports the Daily Mail.

A new book called Too Famous by American journalist Michael Wolff revealed that when Epstein was asked if her ever went out with Diana, he replied, "I escorted her on occasion".

He wouldn't reveal where his outings with the princess took place - and there is no photographic evidence available - but it's possible that they occurred during her visits to New York, where Epstein was known to have a town house worth several million dollars.

His supposed friendship with Diana, who died in 1997 in a car crash in Paris, would have come long before his conviction in 2008 on sex trafficking charges.

On the other hand, Princess Diana's former brother-in-law Prince Andrew stayed friends with Epstein after he was released from prison after serving nearly 13 months. Andrew stayed with Epstein at his New York home as recently as 2010.

Amid his friendship with Andrew, Epstein went to the Queen's Norfolk retreat of Sandringham on a shooting weekend, even helping to pay off some of Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson's debts.

Last year the Daily Mail revealed that Epstein had befriended Princess Diana's bridesmaid Clementine Hambro. She was working for Christie's auction house at the time when she was invited to Epstein's home in Santa Fe in 1999 to discuss art.

A month later she flew as his guest aboard his jet to Little Saint James in the US Virgin Islands.

Hambro, who is the great-granddaughter of Winston Churchill, said she was "not abused, nor did I see anyone abused. I was very lucky".