The bizarre photo to clear Prince Andrew's name: evidence or conspiracy theory?

The power of imagery has visited the royal family again. With the recent reawaking of the dormant Prince Andrew scandal, Ghislaine Maxwell has set out to try and 'clear' her old friend of the accusations Virginia Giuffre made against him.

Photo: Publicly released to The Telegraph by Ian Maxwell, elder brother of Ghislaine Maxwell

The bizarrely staged photograph, initially released by The Telegraph, was taken by her friends and family alongside a comment from her brother, Ian. According to The Telegraph, he had said it proves Giuffre's claims are false, because it shows "that the bath is too small for any sort of sex frolicking" with two people in the tub at once.

"There was a bath and it started there and then led into the bedroom," Giuffre told BBC Panorama in 2019. "It didn't last very long, the whole entire procedure. It was disgusting. He wasn't mean or anything but he got up and he said 'Thanks' and walked out."

To help try and clear his name, Prince Andrew had previously tried to distance himself from the convicted sex trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell, with his lawyers claiming the two were never close. Back in October 2022, Ghislaine spoke about her 'dear friend' Andrew. Could she be unintentionally causing more harm than good? Is Maxwell, deep down, trying to damage the Prince?

Of course, Maxwell made headlines in mid January after alleging that the infamous photograph of him and Virginia Giuffre is a fake. She said that there would be no evidence to implicate him in the Epstein sex trafficking case. As a result, Prince Andrew is now considering a counterclaim against Virginia Giuffre.

The photograph was vital for Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse allegations in court. It shows Andrew holding his hand around a young Ms. Giuffre’s semi-bare waist. She was 17 years old at the time, and it would be around this time that the assault reportedly happened.

Photo: US Department of Justice

Andrew has consulted his lawyers in an attempt to overturn his settlement against Giuffre, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein's trafficking ring, the Daily Express reported.

It was the Daily Mail who initially released the photo in 2011. Ms Virginia Roberts presented professional photographer Michael Thomas with the image who then took 39 copies of the image, both front and back. It is the back of the photograph that is the most damning for the Prince.

The back of the photo, as declared by Michael Thomas himself, contained a time stamp. The photo proves it was developed on March 13, 2001. The alleged crime of Miss Roberts being forced to have sex with Andrew, was reported to have taken place three days earlier.

After hearing accusations that the photo was fake, the Daily Mail photographer has spoken out to prove its authenticity. He said to the Daily Mail, "I was holding the original photo in my hand. It was a normal 6x4 inch print that you would have got from any developer at the time."

The photographer is in disbelief that those supporting Andrew would come out to say it was fake - he said it "is ridiculous. I held the photo. It was a normal photograph. It was a physical print. It exists. I saw it and that's what I photographed and that's what you see now."

Ms. Giuffre alleged that Prince Andrew assaulted her when she was 17 years old. An out of court settlement was agreed by Prince Andrew amounting to several millions of pounds.

It was Ghislaine Maxwell, the third person in the notorious photo, who questioned its authenticity. Maxwell is currently in jail, serving a 20-year sentence for her collaboration with Epstein's abuse scheme.

In an interview from prison, Maxwell (who also appears in the infamous 2001 photograph alongside Giuffre) said: "I don’t believe it’s real for a second."

Photo: TalkTV

The incarcerated partner of the late Jeffrey Epstein claims that the photo in question is a fake. "I've only ever seen a photocopy of it," she says; never the original picture. That's why she claims: "I don't believe it happened and the way it's described is impossible."

Photo: Still from 'This Morning,' Youtube

Although the ‘behind bars’ interview took place in August, viewers were only able to watch the Ghislaine/Jeremy Kyle discussion on 23rd January on TalkTV.

The photo had been questioned before, by the Prince himself. Andrew told Newsnight in 2019 that he had no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre. He also claimed the photograph may have been doctored.

The prince told interviewer Emily Maitlis: "I have absolutely no memory of that photograph ever being taken... From the investigations that we've done, you can't prove whether or not that photograph is faked or not, because it is a photograph of a photograph of a photograph."

"I'm at a loss to explain this particular photograph. I don't remember going upstairs because that photograph was taken upstairs and I am not entirely convinced that... we can't be certain as to whether or not that's my hand on her whatever it is, side," the prince continued in his 2019 interview.

The Prince had finished by saying, "If the original was ever produced, then perhaps we might be able to solve it, but I can't."

He was inspired to consult with his legal team after Ms. Giuffre - born Virginia Roberts - dropped her lawsuit against another man she accused of sexual assault. She admitted that she 'may have made a mistake' in identifying him.

The legal team representing Virginia Giuffre says, however, that there is no chance of Prince Andrew winning this case.

Supporters of Andrew claim that he always wished to fight and clear his name but that the Palace feared that it might create negative publicity for the family, The Sun reports. At the time, celebrations were being planned for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, and that was where the spotlight was and should be.

According to a source close to Andrew in The Sun, the Prince felt “emboldened” by his role supporting the Queen in the Abbey at the funeral for Prince Philip. He had proven he could hold his nerve in the limelight, despite knowing that "the weight of public opinion" was against him.

Prince Andrew has spoken with his lawyers in the hope of ending his royal exile. He was removed from duties in January 2022. Buckingham Palace said in a statement at the time:
"With the Queen's approval and agreement, the Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

If Prince Andrew is found innocent, this could mean he might once again be welcomed back into the ‘new look’ monarchy.