The Photos That Have Kept Former Prince Andrew in the Public Eye
Allegations about Prince Andrew's connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have unfolded over many years, with several pivotal photographs dripping into public consciousness and maintaining intense pressure on the royal family. These images provide a visual timeline of a scandal that has captivated global attention.
The Picture with 'No Innocent Explanation'
Taken in 2001 but not revealed publicly until a decade later, this photograph shows Prince Andrew with his arm around seventeen-year-old Virginia Giuffre while Ghislaine Maxwell stands beside them. The image was captured by Epstein himself and places Andrew in direct proximity to a girl who later accused him of sexual abuse while she was a minor.
Wendy Murphy, a former sex crimes prosecutor, described the pose as having "no innocent explanation." For years, Prince Andrew maintained the photograph had been doctored, but emails released with Epstein files this year appear to contradict that assertion. In 2022, Andrew settled a civil case brought by Giuffre in New York alleging sexual assault on three occasions, though he made no admission of liability and continues to deny all allegations.
The Central Park Stroll
In February 2011, the News of the World published a photograph showing Prince Andrew walking through New York's Central Park with Jeffrey Epstein in 2010. The newspaper's subheading asked pointedly: "Just what is the 4th in line to the throne doing meeting a convicted child-sex pervert ... even if he is a billionaire?"
This meeting occurred two years after Epstein's conviction and imprisonment for soliciting prostitution from a minor. When questioned by journalist Emily Maitlis eight years after the photo emerged, Prince Andrew claimed he had visited Epstein to sever contact in person, believing it the honorable approach. This explanation was undermined when a 2011 email surfaced last year in which Andrew wrote to Epstein: "We are in this together" and suggested "we'll play some more soon."
The Unidentified Female on the Floor
When the U.S. Justice Department released over three million documents related to the Epstein case last month, additional photographs emerged showing Prince Andrew crouching over an unidentified female lying supine on the floor. In one image, his hand rests on her stomach; in another, he kneels above her smiling toward the camera with hands positioned on either side of her torso.
These undated photographs contain no captions, location references, or indications of wrongdoing, but they added to the visual record of Andrew's associations during the Epstein era.
The Historic Arrest
Perhaps the most unprecedented image shows Prince Andrew leaving Aylsham police station after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The Reuters caption notes this represents the first royal arrest since Charles I in 1647, marking a historic moment in modern British history.
Photographer Phil Noble captured the image after Prince Andrew was released under investigation following more than ten hours in police custody. Reuters noted that of six frames taken, only one successfully captured the unprecedented nature of the moment: a senior royal being treated as a common criminal.
These photographs collectively document a scandal that has unfolded across decades, from private moments in 2001 to very public legal proceedings in recent years. Each image has contributed to keeping Prince Andrew's name in headlines and maintaining scrutiny on royal connections to one of the most notorious criminal cases of the twenty-first century.
