Photo Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre by Ghislaine Maxwell
| Photo Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre by Ghislaine Maxwell | |
|---|---|
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Prince Andrew posed with his arm around Virginia Giuffre’s shoulders, while Ghislaine Maxwell smiled beside him |
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| Artist | Jeffrey Epstein |
| Done done | March 10, 2001 |
| Medium | Photo |
| Condition | Lost |
| Location | 44 Kinnerton Street, London, England |
| Owner | Virginia Giuffre |
A 2001 photo shows Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew, Duke of York (now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) with Ghislaine Maxwell. The photo was taken by Jeffrey Epstein at Maxwell’s residence in the Belgravia area, London. The photo was first published in a cropped version in 2011 by the newspaper Mail on Sunday; the newspaper later published the full image in 2019. The location of the original photo is unknown. The authenticity of the image has been denied by Andrew and Maxwell, but confirmed by Giuffre. However, emails released by the United States Government written by Maxwell and Epstein appear to confirm their authenticity.
The photo shows Prince Andrew, Duke of York (now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor) with his arm around 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, while a smiling Ghislaine Maxwell stands to their left. The photo was taken by Jeffrey Epstein at Maxwell’s residence in London, precisely at 44 Kinnerton Street, Belgravia district, London, on the evening of March 10 2001.[1][2] Epstein’s shadow is obscured by the flash of camera lights reflected in the window.[1] The original photo was taken with Giuffre’s yellow Kodak camera given to her by Epstein.[2] Giuffre said in 2011 that the photo was taken because “I wanted to show my mother something.”[2] In the interview, Giuffre alleged that she was flown to London by Epstein to meet Andrew, and that she and Andrew had sexual relations the night the photo was taken in the bathtub of the house after visiting the Tramp nightclub.[1] Andrew denied this, claiming he was at the PizzaExpress restaurant in the town of Woking, Surrey, that evening with his daughter, Princess Beatrice.[3]
In February 2011, News of the World published a photo of Epstein walking with Andrew in Central Park, New York, in 2010.[2] Epstein was released from prison in July 2009 after pleading guilty to state charges of recruiting prostitution and recruiting prostitution with a child under the age of 18.[4]
A week after the publication of the Central Park photo, Mail on Sunday asked Giuffre to provide evidence for her claims that she was trafficked for sexual purposes by Epstein.[1] Giuffre gave a photo of herself, Andrew, and Maxwell to Mail on Sundaywhich was later published.[2] The photo had never been seen by the public until the article Mail on Sunday published. The newspaper paid Giuffre $140,000 to publish the image and $20,000 for two interviews with him.[1]
The published image is a 2011 photo of an original 2001 photo taken by New Zealand photographer Michael Thomas.[2] In 2019, Daily Mail publish full photos previously only seen in cropped versions. In the uncut version, a blurry image of Epstein’s thumb can be seen along with the abstract painting and clearer interior details.[2]
The photo played an important role in Giuffre’s subsequent legal action against Andrew. In his writing in The Guardian in 2022, Edward Helmore felt that the picture could serve as “both a prologue and an epilogue to this story”[1]
The house at 44 Kinnerton Street was sold by Maxwell in 2021. Funds from the sale increased his available funds for legal fees from $7 million to more than $10 million.[5]
In a 2019 BBC interview with Emily Maitlis, Andrew said he had “no memory of the photo being taken at all”, but he recognized himself in the photo.[3] He also said that “based on the investigation we’ve done, it’s impossible to prove whether the photo is fake or not because it’s a photo of a photo of a photo. So it’s very difficult to prove, but I don’t remember the photo ever being taken” and that he doesn’t “believe it was taken in the way that has been suggested.”[3] He told Maitlis that he had never seen Epstein with a camera and that he never remembered going upstairs to Maxwell’s house.[3] He also said that as a member of the British royal family, he was not used to “hugs and public displays of affection.”[3]
Andrew claimed that the picture could not be of him because he always wears a suit and tie when in London, and that he does not make public displays of affection because he is a member of the British royal family.[2] His defense of public displays of affection was undermined by later published images showing him hugging and kissing various figures.[2]
After Epstein’s suicide in 2019, two newspaper articles citing unnamed “friends” of Andrew appeared in The Daily Telegraph And Evening Standardclaiming that his fingers were different from the fingers depicted in the photo.[2] It claimed that her fingers were “quite fat” and not “slim enough, like a girl’s fingers”, which they said proved the photo was fake.[2] An alleged discrepancy in the relative height difference between Andrew and Giuffre was also claimed. Sources told The Daily Telegraph that Giuffre looked “below average height” despite being a similar height to Andrew in the photo.[2] Daily Mail reported that Andrew’s actual height is about 182 cm and Giuffre is about 176 cm, which is in line with what is shown in the picture.[2]
In a 2023 interview, Maxwell stated that he did not believe the photo was genuine, did not remember it being taken, and had no memory of Giuffre and Andrew ever meeting.[6] He stated that “there are no original photographs, only copies that have been produced, copies of copies. Parts of it, according to some experts, look as if they have been Photoshopped”.[6]
Photographer Michael Thomas, who took the 2011 photo from the 2001 photo, did not doubt the image’s authenticity, saying that he “always believed it was real” and that if the photo was fake, news media companies would be sued for using the image.[2] Thomas said that when he saw the photo, it was among Giuffre’s “average teenage photos.”[2]
In a 2023 article for News.com.au, Daniela Elser wrote that the window of Maxwell’s house on Kinnerton Street looked “almost identical” to the window in the photo.[2]
Giuffre said that people claiming the image was fake would “constantly make up ridiculous excuses like Andrew’s arm was extended or the photo was edited… I mean, I don’t believe this nonsense”.[2]
Wendy Murphy, a former sex crimes prosecutor, told The Guardian that there was no ‘reasonable explanation’ for why Andrew was hugging Giuffre in a social situation, and that if the photo was not of a British royal with a commoner, it “didn’t tell anything”.[1]
In March 2026, as part of the Epstein files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, an email from “G Maxwell” was described by BBC News as appearing to confirm that the photos were genuine.[7] A “draft statement” sent by “G Maxwell” in 2015 to Epstein stated, “In 2001, I was in London when [dihapus] met a number of my friends, including Prince Andrew. A photo was taken because I think she wanted to show it to her friends and family.” Giuffre’s brother said the email “…really proves Virginia right…she wasn’t lying this whole time.”[7]
In 2025, an email written by Epstein in 2011 was released by the House Oversight Committee, in which he stated that “Yes, he [Giuffre] was on my plane and yes, he took a photo with Andrew.”[7]
During the case trial Giuffre v. Prince AndrewAndrew’s attorneys asked Giuffre to hand over the original photo, but he was unable to do so because its location was unknown and his legal team had never seen the original photo.[1] The photos are thought to have been sent from Colorado to Sydney between 2011 and 2016.[1] Giuffre has loaned the photo to the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.[2] In 2016, he stated under oath that the photo was not in his possession, but was “probably in several safety deposit boxes” both at his home and in Sydney, at his in-laws’ house.[2]
DOCUMENTED REFERENCES
Exploring Documented Records
Public interest in the Epstein case continues not only because of court proceedings and testimonies, but also due to the growing body of documented records that help researchers and readers understand the broader context. Beyond legal files and media reports, some independent projects have organized publicly available data connected to Epstein’s activities.
One example is a structured archive of documented Amazon order records, where purchases are cataloged with dates and product details. While individual items do not prove wrongdoing on their own, examining documented information alongside established facts helps paint a clearer picture of the environment and circumstances surrounding the case.
Browse the structured archive of documented order records
For readers looking to review primary-source style data rather than interpretations, exploring compiled records can provide additional context to the broader discussion.
