Ghislaine Maxwell claims Prince Andrew photo is 'fake' as she speaks from prison
Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed that the infamous photo of Prince Andrew with his arm around sex accuser Virginia Roberts was faked and says she can’t remember the pair ever meeting.
The 61-year-old convicted sex offender and former socialite is currently serving a 20 year sentence at a Florida jail for luring young girls to massage rooms for the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004.
Prince Andrew has long been connected to both Maxwell and the late Epstein - who was found dead in a prison cell in August 2019 aged 66.
Ms Giuffre brought a civil case alleging Prince Andrew had forced her to have sex with him on three occasions - at Ghislaine Maxwell's London home, at Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan townhouse and in the Virgin Islands - in 2001 when she was 17 years old.
Prince Andrew denies the allegations and later agreed to an out of court settlement with his accuser. The settlement is not an admission of guilt and the Duke of York continues to deny any wrongdoing.
Teen 'kept as slave, starved and beaten' sues adoptive parents and authoritiesThe Duke of York was famously photographed with his hand around the waist of then-teenager Virginia Guiffre at Maxwell's London home.
Despite Maxwell being clearly visible in the photo as she stood grinning in the background, the disgraced former socialite has told Jeremy Kyle in his TalkTV show that she believes the image is fake.
Controversial talk show host Kyle, 57, has interviewed Maxwell for a special episode of his series, due to air on Monday night and billed as ‘Ghislaine Behind Bars’.
Viewers will see Maxwell argue: “I have no memory of them meeting. And I don’t think that picture is real.
“There is no original of that photo, (just) copies of copies and parts of it, according to some experts, look like it has been photoshopped. I don’t remember her in my home.”
She adds: “I know that Virginia travelled with Jeffrey, and so it’s entirely possible.
“It wasn’t something so outrageously out of left field that it couldn’t have happened.
“But the photo doesn’t appear to be real. And I don’t recall it being taken. I have no memory of Virginia and Prince Andrew meeting.”
The upcoming interview looks set to draw the crimes of Epstein and the accusations against Prince Andrew back into the spotlight.
Explaining his reasoning for interviewing Maxwell from FCI Tallahassee prison in Florida, Kyle said: “Ghislaine Maxwell will be speaking for the first time from inside prison. She’s the most notorious female inmate on the planet.
Death fears for Emmerdale's Sarah as teen rushed to A&E after exposing secret“But since being jailed for sex trafficking, Ghislaine Maxwell has kept her silence, until now.”
He added: “She lifts the lid on Epstein, Prince Andrew and even our late Queen. This is Ghislaine Maxwell behind bars and in her own words.”
The announcement about the special episode - which is scheduled to air on TalkTV on Monday night - has divided TV fans.
Many have taken to social media to slam the planned episode, with one asking: “Why are you giving her airtime?”
Jeremy Kyle Live is due to air on Monday night at 7pm on TalkTV.