Former US president Bill Clinton has featured extensively in the latest Epstein files released on Saturday (AEDT), while Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is pictured lying across a row of females.

The US Justice Department released thousands of documents, however many of the files were heavily redacted, which drew criticism from victims and their supporters.

Several documents with 100 pages or more were entirely blacked out — and the Justice Department acknowledged it was still reviewing hundreds of thousands of additional pages for possible release.

Bill Clinton in a spa with an unknown female. Photo: US Department of Justice

The latest release made scant reference to US President Donald Trump, but there were numerous photos of Clinton, in a move Democrats said was politically curated.

Other famous faces in photos with Epstein are former pop star Michael Jackson and Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson, who looks casual alongside Epstein as two females stand in the background.

Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is pictured with Clinton.

Other images show Clinton in a swimming pool with Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell and another person whose face is blacked out.

The former Democratic president is also shown in a hot tub with someone whose face is covered by a black square.

Bill Clinton features extensively while Donald Trump is noticeably absent. Photo: US Department of Justice

In one picture, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is draped across the laps of women in a room that media have identified as a saloon room at the royal estate of Sandringham, which is sure to draw more scrutiny.

A smiling Maxwell is seen in the background. In another picture Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his royal titles due to the scandal, appears to be at Royal Ascot with Epstein and Maxwell. 

Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson appears in two pictures alongside women with their faces blacked out.

Former Prince Andrew lying on women’s laps. Photo: Department of Justice

Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Urena, said the White House was attempting to “shield themselves” from scrutiny by focusing on the former president.

“They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton,” he wrote.

Clinton has previously expressed regret for socialising ​with Epstein and said he was not aware of any criminal activity.

Sir Richard Branson looking casual with Jeffrey Epstein. Photo: US Department of Justice

The files appeared to include few if any photos of Trump or documents mentioning him, despite Trump and Epstein’s well-publicised friendship in the 1990s and early 2000s before they had a falling out prior ‍to Epstein’s first conviction in 2008.

The absence of references to Trump was notable given that pictures and documents related to him have trickled out of previous Epstein releases ​for years.

Trump’s name appeared in flight manifests listing passengers on Epstein’s private plane that were part of a first batch of Epstein material the Justice Department released in February, for instance.

Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing and has denied knowing about Epstein’s sex trafficking.

Michael Jackson, Bill Clinton, Diana Ross and a female. Photo: US Department of Justice

The scandal surrounding Epstein has become a self-inflicted political wound for Trump, who for years had promoted conspiracy theories about Epstein to his supporters.

It was not immediately clear how substantive the new materials are, given that many Epstein-related documents have previously been made public since his 2019 death in jail, which was ruled a suicide.

The disclosure law required the Justice Department to turn over information about its handling of the Epstein investigation, including internal reports and emails. None of those materials appeared to be in the batch of documents the government released on Friday.

Mick Jagger, Bill Clinton and a female. Photo: Department of Justice

Trump last month ordered the Justice Department to investigate Clinton’s ties to Epstein, in what critics viewed as an effort to shift the focus from his own relationship with Epstein.

There were more than 1200 victims or their relatives whose names must be redacted ‌from the files, said Deputy Attorney-General Todd Blanche in a letter to Congress.

Some lawmakers immediately criticised the administration for failing to release all of the files.

“This set of heavily redacted documents released by the Department of Justice today is ‍just a fraction of the whole body of evidence,” Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

The law that Congress passed allowed the Justice Department to withhold personal information about Epstein’s victims, as well as material that would jeopardise an active investigation.

Many Trump voters had accused his administration ​of covering up ​Epstein’s ties to powerful figures and obscuring details surrounding his death in a Manhattan jail, where he was ​awaiting trial on charges of trafficking and abusing underage girls.

Just 44 per cent of American adults who identify as Republicans approve of Trump’s ​handling of the Epstein issue, compared to his 82 per cent overall approval rating among the group, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll. The issue has damaged Trump’s political standing ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, when control of Congress is at stake.

-with AAP