Ghislaine Maxwell's Bizarre Claim About The Prince Andrew And Virginia Giuffre Case
At the time of this writing, former Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell was serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, as Reuters reports. In 2022, Maxwell was convicted for her years-long collaboration with Epstein in an elaborate sex trafficking operation of minors, a scandal that ensnared many high-profile men, among them Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, from the British royal family.
Accusations related to the Epstein case were brought against the British royal by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged that when she was a minor she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sexual contact with Prince Andrew and other men. All of whom, she alleged, knew at that time she was underage, according to CNN.
Prince Andrew reportedly settled with Giuffre out of court, and as a result, the Giuffre accusations never went to trial, nor did the Duke of York ever face criminal charges. But as CNN elsewhere notes, speaking from her Florida jail cell in 2023, Maxwell claimed there may be more to the story involving one crucial piece of evidence that tipped the balance toward Andrew's guilt in the opinion of some.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
Prince Andrew claims he's innocent
Despite choosing to settle out of court with Virginia Giuffre for an undisclosed sum, Prince Andrew denied Giuffre's accusations, according to NPR, Nonetheless, the reputation of the British royal, the late Queen Elizabeth II of England's second eldest son, was badly tarnished by accusations of sex abuse and his alleged connection with Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking ring.
In the scandal fallout, the late British queen stripped her son of his military titles and other royal benefits, as The New York Times reports. In 2019, Epstein (pictured) was found dead in his jail cell from an apparent suicide as he awaited trial for sex trafficking. Though never convicted, and technically innocent in the eyes of the law, in the court of public opinion, Prince Andrew's presumed guilt of innocence largely rested on one seemingly incriminating photo.
As CNN explained, that notorious picture seemed to include Prince Andrew, a young Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell at the same time and place, supporting Giuffre's version of events. But now Maxwell has weighed in on whether she thinks the picture is real or fake, based on CBS News reporting.
Maxwell says she has no memory of when the picture was taken
The photo showing Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell all together was supposedly taken in London in 2001, as CBS News writes. In a jailhouse interview set to air on TalkTV in the U.K., Maxwell, who has appealed her sentence, claimed no original copy of the photo exists. In her opinion, the photo was doctored to appear as if all three were together at the same place and time, per CNN. The trio were reportedly on their way out to a London nightclub called Tramp where Giuffre claims one of three instances of sexual abuse from Andrew happened.
On the topic of the Prince Andrew-Giuffre photo, Maxwell said (via CNN), "I don't believe [the photo] is real for a second, in fact, I'm sure it's not. There has never been an original. I don't believe it happened and certainly, the way it's described would have been impossible. I don't have any memory of going to Tramp," Maxwell said. Andrew has also claimed the picture is doctored, according to CBS.
Prince Andrew has appealed his agreement to settle with Giuffre out of court. That decision comes as Giuffree has dropped similar allegations against high-powered attorney Alan Dershowitz related to the Epstein scandal. In her same TalkTV chat, Maxwell also said she believes Epstein was murdered, though why she thinks so was not explained. In that same interview, Maxwell alleged that Giuffre may still have experienced abuse from Andrew (via Oxygen True Crime).