German financier David Stern has resigned from the Cambridge Judge Business School (JBS) advisory board over his links to Jeffrey Epstein.

Thousands of recently unclassified files reveal that Stern’s relationship with Epstein lasted from 2009 until at least 2017, and possibly until Epstein’s death in 2019. The ‘Epstein files’ contain 7,461 searchable results for David Stern’s name.

After business magazine Private Equity News asked JBS about Stern’s relationship with Epstein, Stern resigned from the advisory board “with immediate effect”. Stern was appointed to the board in 2018. It is not clear whether the University was aware of Stern’s ties to Epstein before he resigned from JBS’s advisory board.

Stern, who advised European companies on investments in China through his company Asia Gateway (later Witan Group), remained on good terms with Epstein after Epstein was released from prison in July 2009. Epstein had pleaded guilty to procuring a girl under the age of 18 for prostitution.

Stern continued to act as an intermediary for Epstein during this time. One email Stern sent referred to himself as a “soldier” and Epstein as his “general”. Stern asked Epstein to be the godfather of one of his children in 2016, which Epstein declined. Epstein also described Stern as a “good friend”.

Stern sent Epstein several sexually explicit messages over the course of their relationship, including a 2014 birthday message accompanied by a photograph of champagne being poured over the body of an unidentifiable young woman, accompanied by the message “champagne for you (even though you don’t drink it)”.

Stern’s communications with Epstein often involved attempts to pitch business deals, especially those relating to China. Stern suggested to Epstein that he could purchase Deutsche Bank in 2016.

Stern also acted as a go-between between Epstein and the royal family, particularly in his role as an aide to the former Prince Andrew. Known as the “man in the palace,” he often kept Epstein aware of Andrew’s movements, including through an email that said “sitting with PA [Prince Andrew] in Vietnam”.

In a 2011 email, Stern wrote to Epstein, “I am going with PA to China on 23 October… I stay in the background/hidden. Just make the arrangements”. In 2013, he sent a picture of himself with Andrew and Sarah Ferguson to Epstein.

In 2016, Stern was appointed director of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Pitch@Palace programme, which aimed to connect entrepreneurs with mentors and investors. He was featured in a photo sitting next to Queen Elizabeth II at a programme event that same year.

Stern resigned from Pitch@Palace in 2019 after Epstein’s suicide in prison and information about Andrew’s relationship with Epstein coming to light. The company was “struck off and dissolved” from Companies House on 03/02.

However, Stern continued as a director of the St George’s House Trust organisation at Windsor Castle, which he was also appointed to in 2016, until 2022. According to the organisation’s website, the trust aims to “nurture wisdom through dialogue” to achieve “trust, equality and peace”.

Stern was also involved with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson. After Ferguson publicly stated that she regretted involvement with Epstein in 2011, Stern wrote to Epstein to ask “is she going crazy??? When can I call you?” [sic].

The Epstein Files also indicate that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor attempted to coordinate a meeting between Epstein and Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2010, using Stern as an intermediary. In 2010, Epstein alleged that people around Gaddafi “asked me if i want to meet him as he does not know where to put his money” [sic]. He also emailed Stern “i want to go to tripoli lets organise with pa”.

This occurred while Andrew was serving as the UK’s Special Representative for International Trade, and had met Gaddafi and his son as part of this role.

It appears that a meeting between Epstein and Gaddafi ultimately did not go ahead. Gaddafi is not named in the emails, but referred to through aliases including ‘the father’, ‘the leader’ and ‘Brother Leader’.

JBS’s advisory board meets twice a year and consists of members of its “external community” from a diverse range of companies and international organisations. According to its website, the board enables “top-level connections and collaboration, supporting our fundraising objectives, and providing advice on our strategic priorities”.

The board lists 20 current members, including senior members of Dunelm Group, Investec Bank, McKinsey and Lenovo. Before his resignation, Stern was allegedly the only member of the board with no picture or profile page on the website.

JBS was established in 1990. The school delivers programmes including the Cambridge Management Studies Tripos, Master of Business Administration degrees, and 8 PhD pathways. It ranked second in the world in the Financial Times’ ranking of post-experience master of finance programmes in 2024.

Stern is currently believed to be living in the United Arab Emirates.