A new image of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor—formerly Prince Andrew—with Ghislaine Maxwell in the room where the royals will celebrate Christmas has “somewhat soiled” festivities, according to a former friend of Princess Diana.
Andrew was accused by Virginia Giuffre of rape during a 2021 civil lawsuit she filed in New York which he settled out of court in 2022 for an undisclosed sum, without admitting liability. He has always denied her allegations, which include her account of being trafficked aged 17 by Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands and made to have sex with Andrew, fearing death if she refused. Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025.
The latest Epstein files release includes a photograph of Andrew lying across the laps of five women whose faces have been redacted in what appears to be Sandringham, a private royal family estate in Norfolk, in the east of England.
In the background, Ghislaine Maxwell smiles as she stands behind them and alongside is a sixth woman, whose face has also been redacted.
Richard Kay, a journalist and trusted confidant of Princess Diana before her death 1997, wrote in a column for the Daily Mail: “Could there be a more grotesque postscript to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former royal life than that photograph of him draped over the laps of five young women with a wolfish grin on his face?
“While the tawdry image taken at Sandringham—where he is no longer welcome—and released as part of the so-called Epstein Files is an indelible reminder of Andrew’s stratospheric fall from grace, for the Royal Family it is not just haunting but sordid. It is an invasion of their cherished privacy, taken in the very room where they will gather this week to mark Christmas.”
Newsweek approached representatives of Andrew for comment.
Why It Matters
Jeffrey Epstein died in jail in August 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges after what the New York medical examiner described as a suicide. Maxwell was jailed for 20 years on sex trafficking charges for her role in grooming girls for Epstein to abuse.
Andrew is known to have hosted Epstein and Maxwell at Sandringham on one occasion in December 2000 and described the event as a “perfectly normal shooting weekend,” during an interview with BBC Newsnight in November 2019.
The Department of Justice released thousands of photos from its files on Jeffrey Epstein on Friday following a vote by Congress which was signed off by President Donald Trump.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Photo ‘Somewhat Soiled’ Royal Christmas
Kay wrote that with the release of the photo, “[s]uddenly, the Andrew saga has intruded upon royal life in the most uncomfortable way yet.”
“The identities of the women on whom the dinner-jacketed Andrew is sprawled are obscured, their faces blacked out by US government lawyers,” he continued.
“One figure presiding over this unsettling scene, however, is instantly recognizable: Jeffrey Epstein’s madam Ghislaine Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year jail sentence for child sex-trafficking.
“For those royal adults arriving at the King’s Norfolk estate, no amount of Christmas spirit or lavish decorations will be enough to completely eradicate the sense that this year’s celebration has been somewhat soiled.
“The picture of the ex-prince was taken (by whom it is not known) in the baronial drawing room, known as the Saloon, an intimate inner sanctum where the family traditionally gathers for afternoon tea on Christmas Eve and again on Christmas Day to watch Charles’s televised message to the country and Commonwealth.”
Newsweek understands that Andrew is not expected to attend royal Christmas in person, despite being in the process of moving to the Sandringham estate where Charles will be hosting the wider family.
Andrew’s Fall From Grace in 2025
Andrew was stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles in October by King Charles III. This was announced through a Buckingham Palace statement: “His Majesty has today initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew.
“Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence.
“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.
“Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”
It followed the release of Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, in October and a series of other Epstein documents disclosed by the House Oversight Committee.
Among them was an email Andrew sent Epstein in 2011 shortly after publication of Giuffre’s first newspaper interview, published in The Mail on Sunday.
Published by the Mail, Andrew wrote: “I’m just as concerned for you! Don’t worry about me! It would seem we are in this together and will have to rise above it. Otherwise keep in close touch and we’ll play some more soon!!!!”
Prior to being stripped of his titles, Andrew had voluntarily given up using them in October when Buckingham Palace released a statement from him: “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.
“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.
“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me. As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”
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