The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, has made his first public appearance since a controversial photograph from the Jeffrey Epstein document trove was published, showing him in a compromising position at a party.
A Solemn Departure from Royal Lodge
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was seen driving his Land Rover Defender out of his home at Royal Lodge in Windsor today. Observers noted the former royal had a solemn and serious expression on his face during the brief sighting. This comes in the wake of intense renewed scrutiny following the release of hundreds of thousands of pages from the so-called Epstein Files.
The Sandringham Party Photo Explained
The image causing the latest wave of controversy is a black and white photograph from a party held at the Royal Family's Sandringham estate in early December 2000. The event was hosted by Prince Andrew himself to mark the 39th birthday of Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted accomplice of the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The photo depicts Andrew sprawled across the laps of five women, with a smiling Maxwell looking on from the side. The scene has been described as raucous. In total, the recent document release included a damning trove of approximately 300,000 pages related to Epstein's crimes and associates.
Defence from the Duke's Circle
A friend of the Duke of York has sought to downplay the significance of the image, speaking to The Telegraph. The friend dismissed the photograph as mere "hi-jinks" at a party, emphasising that Andrew was fully clothed. "We don't see what the problem is. It's just hi-jinks at a party," the friend stated.
While the exact date and location were initially withheld from the public release, The Mail on Sunday confirmed the details, reporting it captured the scene from the birthday celebration for Maxwell. This event took place nearly two decades before Epstein's arrest and death in custody, and years before the full extent of his predatory network was exposed in court.
The emergence of this photograph represents another challenging moment for the monarchy, as it continues to grapple with the fallout from Prince Andrew's association with Jeffrey Epstein. The Duke settled a civil sexual assault case in the United States in 2022 and has since been removed from official royal duties.
