This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
On July 3, 2020, the Daily Telegraph published a photograph of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and alleged accomplice of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, sitting on a throne at Buckingham Palace in 2002. She was accompanied by Kevin Spacey, an American actor who has faced allegations of sexual misconduct.
The image has reignited controversy surrounding Prince Andrew, a friend of Epstein's, who has been accused of having a relationship with Epstein and allegations of sexual misconduct by one of his accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Prince Andrew has denied the allegations.
Giuffre has alleged that she was forced into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew and other men while she was underage. Prince Andrew has denied ever meeting Giuffre and suggested that a photo of him and Giuffre may have been doctored.
Spacey's career collapsed in 2017 following several allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Charges against him in the US were dropped last July, and he denies most of the claims.
Maxwell, 58, and Epstein, who died by apparent suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial, are accused of luring underage girls to various residences, including Epstein's Upper East Side mansion, his Palm Beach estate, and his sprawling Santa Fe ranch, as well as London, England, where Maxwell has a home.
A US attorney has urged Prince Andrew to provide information to the investigation, but a source close to Andrew said that his team has twice communicated with the DOJ in the last month and has had no response.
