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The disturbing legacy of abuse by Britain’s elite has taken another dark turn with recent allegations against the late Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, one of the world’s most prominent financiers, accused of perpetrating widespread abuse against female employees.

According to The Guardian’s investigation, multiple women have come forward with allegations against De Rothschild, sharing their stories only after his death due to his immense influence in banking and British society. The women, speaking anonymously, detailed serious sexual assault and harassment incidents during the mid and late 1990s while employed at NM Rothschild.

De Rothschild, who passed away at 91, served as chairman of NM Rothschild for over two decades. His 44-year career in the Rothschild banking empire was marked by his role as a financial adviser to Queen Elizabeth II, culminating in his knighthood in 1989.

“According to sources who spoke to the Guardian, he used his office within NM Rothschild, a stone’s throw from the Bank of England in the City of London, to force himself upon women over several years. More than eight sources, some with direct experience of events, described incidents dating from the mid and late 1990s. However, multiple sources claimed that this kind of misconduct by De Rothschild went unchecked for decades.”

His alleged pattern involved targeting junior staff members with special attention before initiating inappropriate advances.

“The claims include serious sexual assaults. One included a violent assault of a member of staff when she was a young woman working for him. Another allegation is that he put his hands down a different woman’s top and under her underwear to grope her. And a third woman claimed she was forced to perform a sex act on him while he sat on his desk.”

These accusations span multiple decades, though Rothschild & Co’s legal representatives have responded only by stating that an ‘initial review of their records’ revealed ‘nothing.’

“Sources claimed De Rothschild would encourage women to think he could help with their careers, presenting himself as a potential sponsor or advocate in financial services. He would then request that they attend in his office on the presence of a task or work-related conversation before harassing or assaulting them, it is alleged.”

Reports suggest that when victims raised concerns about his behavior, they were dismissed from their positions, often with financial settlements.

“‘He would ask questions aimed at finding out if you were well connected. If you weren’t, then I think you were more likely to be regarded as fair game’, one woman claimed. A different source alleged: ‘It was his kingdom and he enjoyed a sort of absolute rule, people knew about payouts and saw staff who all looked the same being churned through’.”