Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor pictured lying across five people in new Epstein files image
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was pictured lying on the legs of five people in a photo published in a huge pile of files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In the undated photo, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell looks up and smiles at the smiling former prince with his eyes closed and his head near a woman’s lap.
Maxwell, who was Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in a decade-long scheme with him to sexually abuse and exploit underage girls, is seen standing next to another woman.
In the image, which is a photo of a picture in a photo frame, the faces of all six people, apart from Maxwell and the former Duke of York, have been corrected.
Andrew was stripped of his royal titles by the King in November following controversy over his links to Epstein. He vehemently denies any wrongdoing. In a previously released statement, he said: “At no point during the limited time I spent with him did I see, witness or suspect any conduct of the kind that would later lead to his arrest and conviction.”
Numerous documents, including court records, footage and images, were uploaded to the U.S. Department of Justice website on Friday night, leaving users in a queue as it faced an “extremely high volume of search requests.”
Former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson was also included in the newly disclosed files. In one of the photos, he is seen sitting on a couch next to a woman whose identity has been changed. In another image, he is seen smiling at the camera while posing on the street with a woman whose identity is also hidden.
The latest documents also include numerous photos of former President Bill Clinton lounging in a hot tub and of Epstein in the company of numerous celebrities and high-profile figures, including Michael Jackson, Richard Branson and Lord Peter Mandelson. Mick Jagger is also among the newly released files.
Its inclusion in the Epstein files does not imply any alleged wrongdoing.
The data dump comes after deputy US attorney general Todd Blanche said “several hundred thousand” documents from the so-called “Epstein files” would be released before the legal deadline expires.
He said the need to protect sex offender Epstein’s victims meant thousands more would be released in the coming weeks.
The U.S. Department of Justice is legally obligated to publicly release all files related to the investigation into Epstein by midnight on Friday, following the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
The pedophile financier was found dead in his cell at a federal prison in Manhattan, New York, in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
Among the hundreds of photos in the files are undated photos of Maxwell posing with former US president Bill Clinton and actor Kevin Spacey in front of the door of 10 Downing Street.
Many of the photos and documents were heavily edited, prompting criticism from US lawmakers and lawyers regarding Epstein’s victims.
Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who pushed for legislation mandating the disclosure, said: “Unfortunately, the document released today by AG Pam Bondi and DAG Todd Blanche substantially fails to comply with both the spirit and letter of the law that Donald Trump signed just 30 days ago.”
Andrew vehemently denies allegations that he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre, the teenager who was trafficked by Epstein. He paid Ms. Giuffre, whom he claimed he had never met, millions to settle her civil sexual assault claim in 2022.
Tens of thousands of records relating to Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ms Maxwell have already been released through civil and criminal litigation in the US.
This comes after a series of new photos from Epstein’s estate were released by Democrats on Thursday.
A total of 68 photos appeared online on Thursday, including one of billionaire businessman Bill Gates posing with women with their faces corrected and prominent philosopher Noam Chomsky aboard Epstein’s private jet.
The latest batch follows others released last week from Mr. Epstein’s estate, including one of Andrew standing next to Microsoft boss Mr. Gates.
Andrew resigned from royal duties in 2019 following the disastrous Newsnight interview, but the posthumous publication of Ms Giuffre’s memoirs and the US government’s release of documents from Epstein’s estate have brought greater scrutiny to her relationship with the financier.
This led to the King officially stripping his disgraced brother of both his HRH style and the title of prince.
US politicians had criticized him for his “silence” after he missed a deadline last month to respond to requests to sit down for an interview about Epstein.
