Ghislaine Maxwell calls Prince Andrew's infamous photo with then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre 'fake'
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA: Ghislaine Maxwell's interview from the prison seems to carry shocking revelations about Prince Andrew's scandalous picture with then-17-year-old Virginia Giuffre (nee Roberts). Maxwell claimed that the picture that led to the royal family member's disgrace seems "fake."
In an exclusive interview with DailyMail, which will be aired on ITV on Monday, October 17, 2022, the former socialite claimed, "At this time, I no longer believe that to be a true image, and I don’t believe that it is what it appears to be."
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Maxwell, who is currently in a prisonTallahassee, was arrested in July 2020 when she was hiding in New Hampshire. She was in a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in the '90s and trafficked girls for the billionaire to sexually exploit. She was convicted for the same.
In the interview, the sex trafficker went on to claim, "There are so many things that are wrong with it, adding, "As soon as my appeal is over, I will be very happy to discuss it with you."
This statement, however, contradicts her reply to 2015 reply to an email sent to her by Alan Dershowitz, a high-profile lawyer in the country.
In the 2015 mail, Alan wrote, "Dear G. Do you know whether the photo of Andrew and Virginia is real? You are in the background." To which, Maxwell had responded, "It looks real. I think it is."
Meanwhile, now the 60-year-old claimed, "If you see a photograph and it’s a photograph of you in your home, and someone says to you, “Is that a picture of you?” you don’t question it."
Further, she said, "It would never occur to me that somebody would have created a photograph or, you know, done something with a picture. I recognized the surroundings of that photograph, nothing more than that."
Maxwell also insisted, "I don’t know exactly how many points there are, but there are over 50 problems with the picture. So I don’t believe it’s a true picture."
The scandalous picture was also in the news when Giuffre claimed that she had lost the original picture. Giuffre alleged that Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her three times, something the royal family member has strongly denied. That said, the Duke's lawyers also roped in a photographic expert to study the original print if it can be accessed. Andrew has denied ever meeting Giuffre and claimed the photo might have been doctored.
Giuffre's attorneys also stated back in the day that they were unaware of the photo's whereabouts, and no one on her legal team has actually seen the original print. The "critical" piece of evidence was misplaced sometime between 2011 and 2016 when the alleged victim emigrated to Australia from Colorado. Regarding the photo in 2016, Giuffre said it could have been mislaid in moving boxes at her in-laws' home in Sydney as they were full of "nerf guns, kids' toys, photos."
The image, which first surfaced in 2011, is one of the most popular pieces of apparent evidence against the Duke and has become synonymous with the accusations against him, his ongoing legal battle, and questions over his relationship with Epstein.