Newly released documents tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein appear to undercut one of Prince Andrew’s most persistent denials, as an email attributed to Ghislaine Maxwell seemingly confirms the authenticity of the infamous photograph showing the royal with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
The email, disclosed as part of the latest tranche of Epstein-related files, is a 2015 message from a sender identified as “G Maxwell” to Epstein, titled “draft statement.” In it, Maxwell writes that in 2001 she was in London when Giuffre met several of her friends, “including Prince Andrew,” and that “a photograph was taken as I imagine she wanted to show it to friends and family.” Although Giuffre’s name is redacted in the released version, the surrounding context and subsequent correspondence indicate she is the person being referenced.
Giuffre, who died earlier this year, wrote in her posthumous memoir Nobody’s Girl that she asked Epstein to take the photograph at Maxwell’s London home on the same night she alleged Prince Andrew had sex with her for the first time, when she was 17. Andrew has consistently denied the allegation.
In a widely watched 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, Andrew denied meeting Giuffre at all and questioned whether the photograph was genuine. That denial has long been central to his defense.
Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, told Newsnight on Wednesday that the newly revealed Maxwell email is deeply significant. “The email itself is incredibly important,” he said. “I think it truly does vindicate Virginia.” Roberts added that the document confirms not only that the photo was real, but that it was taken in the same house Giuffre had always described. “We want to use this moment to remind people to believe survivors,” he said.
The Maxwell email follows the release of another Epstein email disclosed three months earlier, in which Epstein told a journalist in 2011: “Yes, she was on my plane, and yes, she had her picture taken with Andrew, as many of my employees have.” Together, the messages appear to contradict years of claims casting doubt on the image.
Giuffre alleged that Andrew had sex with her on three occasions—in London, New York, and on Epstein’s private island. Andrew has denied all allegations but reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022. He has never admitted wrongdoing.
The renewed attention comes amid increasing fallout for the former royal. After the latest Epstein file release further detailed Andrew’s ties to Epstein, pressure intensified on him, and last year he was stripped of his remaining royal titles. Earlier this week, he moved out of his Windsor residence to the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
