<\/p>\n
An email believed to have been sent by Ghislaine Maxwell appears to confirm a photograph of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with his arm around Virginia Giuffre\u2019s waist is real.<\/p>\n
The message, released as part of the latest tranche of the Epstein files, was headed \u201cdraft statement\u201d and sent by \u201cG Maxwell\u201d to Jeffrey Epstein in 2015.<\/p>\n
She wrote: \u201cIn 2001 I was in London when [redacted] met a number of friends of mine including Prince Andrew. A photograph was taken as I imagine she wanted to show it to friends and family.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giuffre, who took her own life in April 2025, alleged Mountbatten-Windsor had sex with her three times when she was a teenager.<\/p>\n
The former prince has always denied any wrongdoing. He paid millions to Giuffre, a woman he has claimed never to have met, to settle a civil sexual assault claim on no admission of liability in 2022. He has previously questioned whether the picture had been doctored.<\/p>\n
The email, released by the US Department of Justice, adds that \u201cG Maxwell\u201d was not aware of \u201canything improper\u201d taking place at her home.<\/p>\n
The name of the person discussed in the email had been redacted from the published version of the statement but the details suggest it was Giuffre.<\/p>\n
The family of Giuffre told the BBC\u2019s Newsnight the email showed she had been \u201cvindicated\u201d.<\/p>\n
Her brother, Sky Roberts, said: \u201cIt truly does vindicate Virginia \u2026 she was not lying this entire time.\u201d He added: \u201cIt\u2019s a moment where we\u2019re really proud of our sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a 2019 interview with Newsnight, Mountbatten-Windsor denied meeting Giuffre and suggested the photograph may have been faked. He said at the time: \u201cNobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored but I don\u2019t recollect that photograph ever being taken.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the interview he also claimed he was at a Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey, the night it is claimed he was photographed with Giuffre.<\/p>\n
In December, the Metropolitan police decided after a review not to launch a full criminal investigation into allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor had sex with Giuffre in London in 2001, and that Andrew put pressure on his police protection officer to find any damaging information on her.<\/p>\n
Buckingham Palace was contacted for comment.<\/p>\n