22 January 2023 , 15:41
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The identity of the person who took the infamous photo of Prince Andrew with his arm around sex accuser Virginia Guiffre still remains a mystery over 20 years on.
The unknown person's thumb is visible in the bottom right corner of the snap, which is believed to have been taken in March 2001 at Ghislaine Maxwell's London townhouse.
She is seen grinning in the background of the picture.
It comes as former socialite Maxwell - who is serving 20 years in jail for trafficking young girls for paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - has again claimed the photo is fake.
The 61-year-old is locked up in a Florida prison but has given another press interview from her cell.
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She is adamant she has no recollection of the Duke of York, 62, ever meeting Guiffre, then 17.
A mystery thumb has been revealed in the original uncropped version of this photo of Prince Andrew, Virginia Guiffre and Ghislaine MaxwellMs Giuffre brought a civil case alleging the late Queen's second son had forced her to have sex with him on three occasions.
She said the locations were Maxwell's London home, at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse and in the Virgin Islands - all in 2001.
Andrew continues to deny the allegations but did agree to an out of court settlement with his accuser.
The settlement is not an admission of guilt.
Ghislaine Maxwell speaking to Jeremy Kyle from prisonAs revealed today, Andrew is reportedly planning to try and overturn the multi-million pound settlement.
He tried to explain his links with Epstein by doing an interview with BBC Newsnight in November 2019.
However, it was a train wreck with the prince making various outlandish claims about not being able to sweat and eating at a Pizza Express rather than out clubbing with Giuffre.
The accuser alleges the photo was taken at the property in Belgravia after a night out at Tramp nightclub in Mayfair.
Prince Andrew denies any wrongdoing (UK Press via Getty Images)Soon after Andrew's interview aired he was pulled back from public duties by Buckingham Palace.
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In January last year a New York judge ruled Ms Giuffre's civil case could go ahead and as a result the late Queen opted to strip her son of his honorary military titles and royal patronages.
Maxwell's crimes took place between 1994 and 2004.
Despite her being clearly visible in the photo she told Jeremy Kyle in his TalkTV show that she believes the image is fake.
Maxwell was found guilty of trafficking female victims that Jeffrey Epstein molested (Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)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.
Epstein was found dead in a prison cell in August 2019 aged 66.