Newly released emails appear to confirm the authenticity of a photo of Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with his arm around the waist of Virginia Giuffre, one of the most famous victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.
The disgraced former prince has long denied allegations that he sexually assaulted Giuffre when they were teenagers, and has previously questioned whether the infamous photo was doctored.
But new documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice last week include a 2015 email allegedly sent to Epstein from his ex-girlfriend and longtime accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell that suggests the images of Andrew and Giuffre are real.
The message was captioned “Draft Statement” and was sent to the convicted sex offender in January 2015 by a person named “G. Maxwell.”
“It was in London that I met up with many of my friends (redacted), including Prince Andrew. I took some photos that I imagined she might have wanted to show to her friends and family,” the email said.
Details of the statement and a subsequent email from Epstein on the same day show that the redacted name was Giuffre.
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for child prostitution and other crimes, is also pictured.
The message added that “G. Maxwell” did not see “anything inappropriate that occurred in my home.”
In another email to Epstein, “G. Maxwell” said, “I also have to distance myself from you in a statement. And they need to tell me that I didn’t know about the massage with Andrew at my house.”
CNN has reached out to Maxwell’s representatives and attempted to seek comment from Mountbatten-Windsor’s representatives.
The Epstein scandal has dogged Mountbatten-Windsor for years, leading to him being stripped of his royal titles by his brother King Charles III last year and ordered to leave the Royal Lodge at the Windsor Estate.
Giuffre’s family told British public broadcaster BBC that the release of the emails was a “vindication moment”.
“This shows that not only was she not lying all along, but she was telling the truth,” said Giuffre’s brother Skye Roberts.
“This is a moment where we’re really proud of our sister. We think this is a vindication moment, but we also want to use this as a moment to remind people to believe in survivors,” Roberts added.
Giuffre, who died by suicide in 2025, repeatedly claimed that she was forced to have sex with the then-crown prince while she was underage on three occasions: in London, New York and on Little St. James, colloquially known as Epstein’s Island. She claimed that Mountbatten-Windsor was aware that she was a minor in the United States when they were introduced.
Mountbatten-Windsor denied all of Giuffre’s accusations and said he had no recollection of meeting her. In 2022, the company reached a settlement with Giuffre, settling a sexual abuse lawsuit. Andrew denied wrongdoing, but acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.
“I have no recollection of ever meeting this woman, I have no recollection of it at all,” Mountbatten-Windsor told the BBC in a shocking TV interview in 2019.
“I don’t remember the photo being taken,” he said at the scene, adding that it was him in the photo, but he was “not sure” whether it was him with his hand on her.
When asked to clarify whether he believed the photo was fake, Mountbatten-Windsor said: “No one can prove whether it was doctored or not,” adding: “But I don’t remember it being taken.”
Maxwell also previously claimed the image was not real. Speaking to British broadcaster Talk TV from a Florida prison in 2023, Maxwell said: “I don’t think for a second it’s real. In fact, I’m convinced it’s not. The original never existed.”
In her posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, Giuffre details the day she first met and photographed Mountbatten-Windsor at Maxwell’s London townhouse on March 10, 2001, when she was 17 years old. Giuffre said she was forced to have sex with Andrew several hours later.
Giuffre said the photo was taken with a disposable Kodak Fansaver camera and developed several days later in West Palm Beach on March 13, 2001. Ms Giuffre said that during an interview in Australia in 2011, Ms Thomas took a photo of the original print and showed it to Mail on Sunday reporter Sharon Churcher and photographer Michael Thomas.
The day after the photo was published in the British press, Mountbatten-Windsor sent an email to Epstein saying, “Apparently we are in this together and must get through it…or we will be in close contact and playing more soon!!!!”, Justice Department documents show.
The exchange contradicts Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s claims to the BBC in 2010 that he had severed all ties with Mr Epstein.
Separately, a July 1, 2011 email Epstein sent to a recipient that was redacted in the published documents said, “Yes, she was on my plane, and yes, she was photographed with Andrew, as were many of my employees.” The email does not say which individual he is referring to, but the details again indicate it is Mr. Giuffre.
The latest document, which includes a photo that appears to show Mountbatten-Windsor on all fours and leaning over a woman or girl lying on the floor, has increased political pressure on the disgraced royal. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on Mountbatten-Windsor to testify before the US Congress about his relationship with Epstein.
CNN’s Todd Simmons, Max Foster and Lauren Said Moorhouse contributed reporting.
