Andrew took Ghislaine Maxwell to Royal family’s inner sanctum, Epstein files reveal
Another photo from the Epstein files shows Maxwell, who is currently sentenced to 20 years in prison for sex trafficking, standing outside 10 Downing Street.
In one of the photographs, the couple are seen with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor in the Royal Lodge at Ascot, probably in June 2000, when both were World War II soldiers. It was taken during the well-documented Women’s Day visit, which was attended by both Queen Elizabeth II and the late Queen Mother.
This undated photo released by the US Department of Justice shows Ghislaine Maxwell outside 10 Downing Street in London.Credit: access point
Andrew has since described Epstein as a “plus one” and said he was in no way a guest of the royal family.
The released files include a photo of Andrew filming with Epstein and Maxwell on the heath grounds of Balmoral.
Maxwell and actor Kevin Spacey were previously photographed sitting on thrones at Buckingham Palace during a separate visit organized by Andrew.
Royal historian Andrew Lownie said the former prince allowed Epstein and Maxwell to treat the royal residences as “private playgrounds that mixed public and private without any sense of civility.”
He said: “These photos will not look good in the public eye. Epstein and Maxwell were given the opportunity to go anywhere and Andrew seems too stupid to realize he was being taken advantage of in this way.”
This undated photo shows Ghislaine Maxwell, third from left, actor Kevin Spacey, second from right, and former President Bill Clinton, far right, with a group of unknown people. Credit: access point
Recently released photos show Maxwell and Epstein made multiple visits to the UK to meet the late Queen’s son.
Other photos released from the Epstein files also show Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson sitting on a couch with a woman and standing in the street with another woman. The identities of both women were redacted.
In September 2025, it was revealed that Ferguson had “humbly” apologized to Epstein in April 2011, calling him “my dear friend”, after he had publicly disowned him in March 2011.
He said he never called her a pedophile after she reacted angrily to comments he made about her in an interview, according to obtained emails. mail on sunday.
Emerging developments about the extent of Andrew and Epstein’s friendship could cause further embarrassment for the royal family.
After Epstein was found guilty of encouraging a child into prostitution in 2008, details of the former duke’s friendship with the pedophile threatened to plunge the monarchy into crisis in early 2025 and led to the King stripping Epstein of his remaining titles.
The scandal effectively made Andrew a palace pariah. Earlier this week he was photographed cycling alone in the rain on the Sandringham estate.
The former Duke was ordered to leave Royal Lodge, his residence in Windsor, in October following weeks of scrutiny over his links to Epstein and his accuser Virginia Giuffre.
In her posthumous memoir, published earlier that month, Giuffre repeated allegations that she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times. He has always denied the allegations and other falsehoods.
Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts Giuffre (center) and Epstein’s then-personal assistant Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001.
In an unprecedented statement stripping his brother of the title of Duke of York in November, the King said his “deepest sympathies are with the victims and survivors of all forms of abuse and he remains with them”.
The move follows the revelation of a trove of documents, the latest of which was published on Saturday AEDT, proving Andrew lied to the public over allegations that he had cut ties with Epstein.
Former prince made claim in 2019 news night She said in the interview that she ended her friendship with the financier in 2010 after Epstein was convicted of procuring children for prostitution.
A recently revealed email showed the former duke continued to maintain their friendship beyond that, writing to Epstein in 2011: “We’re in this together.”
Epstein died by suicide in a federal prison in Manhattan, New York, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He previously admitted sexual offenses against children in 2008. Maxwell was convicted of child sex trafficking and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2021.
Maxwell found Epstein’s friendship ‘immediately rewarding’
The first information about how he met Maxwell resurfaced in documents published by the US justice department.
The biography of the financier included in the statements claims that he saved Maxwell from falling into a “deep depression” after the death of his father.
The British socialite moved to New York in 1991, months before Robert Maxwell died by suicide at the age of 68 from his yacht, Lady Ghislaine. She met Epstein shortly after her father’s death.
The typed account (below), written in the third person, describes how Epstein and Maxwell met through “mutual friends” and claims to have found the friendship “immediately rewarding.”
The account, recorded as Epstein’s “personal history”, is understood to have been prepared as part of his defense after he was accused of molesting a minor in Florida in 2006.
Profile claims Epstein knew there were “a few bright spots” [Maxwell] during that period” and that he regularly took her to comedy clubs, which “was extremely palliative in relieving her depression.”
It is claimed that he tried to raise her morale by giving her “good novels to read, books that contain subjects that will challenge her mind, such as scientific studies.”
The account states that Epstein arranged for Maxwell “to provide a loan that would help her gain a foothold in the business world,” and includes the following statements: “[o]Over time, their relationship became cordial.”
According to the narrative, Epstein and Maxwell’s relationship ended “amicably” in 2000; because “the demands of her job, namely long working hours and frequent travel to maintain connections around the world, interfered with a good married life with children”. Maxwell reportedly wanted to start a family with Epstein.
The text also includes quotes from texts written by Maxwell that appear to be Epstein’s testimonies. In it he said: “My experience with Jeffrey is that he is a thoughtful, kind, generous, loving man with a keen sense of humor and a ready smile; a man of principles and values, and a man of his word.
“If he made a promise, he would always keep it. In fact, I have never seen him break his promise. He is disciplined and conscientious in business. He is a man who is always quick to help someone in a bad situation or offer someone an opportunity to pursue a dream or goal.”
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.
Telegraph, London
