One key question has been raised by the photo of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor sprawled across the laps of several women as Ghislaine Maxwell looks on at Sandringham Palace – the identity of the women whose faces have been blacked out.
Six women have had black boxes put over their faces by the US Department of Justice – the five holding the horizontal royal, plus another standing next to Maxwell.
The snap shows the former prince, wearing a black suit and bow tie, as he lies across the five women, smiling with his face near the bare legs of one.
Grinning for the camera, his cheek is just inches above the bare legs of one of the women.
Presiding over this crude scene is Epstein’s pimp Ghislaine Maxwell.
The US government released the picture as part of the Epstein files, a trove of 300,000 documents that revealed the depraved scenes at the financier’s mansions and included countless images of naked young women – plus Andrew partying it up at Sandringham.
And the chilling snap’s setting is even more damning – showing Andrew‘s audacity as he brought the billionaire paedophile’s sex-trafficking girlfriend into the Royal Family’s inner sanctum.
For the room has not only a great deal of history, but is one of the family’s most important at Christmas.
The saloon room, located at the entrance to the nineteenth century house, is where the King hosts sometimes more than 40 members of the family to watch his pre-recorded speech – a tradition dating back to the times of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
A picture of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lying across a row of women in a photo during a black-tie event with Ghislaine Maxwell has been released as part of the Epstein files
This photo from the Sandringham official website shows the same fireplace – with the same clock and ornaments above and, on the left, the faint outline of the hidden door to room where King George V recorded first Christmas broadcast
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor pictured looking glum today as he rides on the grounds of Windsor Castle
The disgraced royal looks deflated as he rides his horse this morning after latest Epstein Files picture emerged
And the annual ritual is as much a part of the royals festive traditions as the dinner beforehand, as members of the family head there to reflect on the year that has passed as well as to unwind and enjoy each others company.
The room overlooks the grand entrance hall on the King’s private Norfolk estate and has always been a gathering place for the royals, who often watch TV, play games or enjoy afternoon tea there.
But now it will also be known as the room where Andrew hammed it up for the camera.
Just visible to the left of Maxwell in the snap is the concealed door to the room in Sandringham House where George V broadcast his first Christmas radio message in 1932.
Today, the former Duke of York was seen looking glum and deflated as he rode his horse on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
It is not clear when the photo of Andrew in front of the fireplace in Sandringham House’s saloon room was taken because the images released last night are lacking context.
But it is known that Andrew hosted a surprise birthday for the now-jailed socialite at the King’s private country Norfolk retreat in December 2000.
The former prince would go on to describe the event as a ‘straightforward shooting weekend’ in his disastrous BBC Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019.
Paedophile financier Epstein and Ghislaine were pictured on a pheasant shoot at the King’s private Norfolk estate around the time of the event.
In July 2006, Jeffrey Epstein was invited to a masked ball at Windsor Castle to celebrate the 18th birthday of Princess Beatrice, Andrew’s elder daughter.
Andrew stepped down from royal duties in 2019 but the publication of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, and the US government’s release of documents from Epstein’s estate, brought more scrutiny over his relationship with the financier.
The former prince has been dogged by allegations that he sexually assaulted then 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein. He has always denied the accusations.
Sandringham House has great historical significance for the Royal Family, with the first Christmas broadcast by Charles’ great-grandfather, King George V, taking place at the Norfolk estate in 1932.
A wider shot of the room. This stunning, double-height room is where each member of the Royal Family comes together after dinner to watch the King’s speech on Christmas Day
The Norfolk estate has great historic significance being the location where King George V recorded the first Christmas Day speech
The impressive saloon, located at the entrance to the nineteenth century house, spans two floors and is complete with a wooden dining table, detailed tapestries, cream sofas, and a piano
The riding trip comes after a picture of Andrew sprawling across several women was among the 300,000 documents released as part of the Epstein files today
A wider view of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor who broke cover today after the image of him sprawled across several woman came to light
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor seen driving a car amid his Epstein controversy
King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the Christmas Morning Service at St Mary Magdalene Church on December 25, 2024
After being persuaded by then Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, to do address communities in a bid to foster a sense of community as well as reach the Commonwealth, the monarch’ broadcast the message to 20 million people.
He began the speech from inside a special small private room Sandringham House with words written by Rudyard Kipling, ‘I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all.’
In the left hand corner of the black-and-white Epstein snap the hidden door can be seen that leads to the room where he recorded the historic broadcast.
Despite the monarch shuffling papers slightly too loudly as well as a wicker chair collapsing, it was a major hit.
Touched by the numerous letters and telegrams congratulating him, King George decided to transform what was intended to be a one-off event into an annual tradition.
Today, listeners and viewers tune in from around the globe to watch the monarch reflect on current issues and concerns as well as the meaning of Christmas Day while the Royals watch from the Sandringham saloon room.
Meanwhile, Andrew’s daughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie may find themselves there on December 25 after King Charles invited them to Sandringham for Christmas.
The matter has become a logistical and emotional nightmare for the two royals, as they remain equally loyal to King and the firm as well as Sarah Ferguson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, sources have said.
Earlier this week, a source said Beatrice is feeling particularly under pressure as she feels she ‘has to be in three places at once’ on Christmas Day.
Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Ghislaine Maxwell at a box at the Royal Ascot in a picture released by the US Department of Justice
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Ghislaine Maxwell at the Royal Ascot, Ladies Day, on June 22, 2000 – when the DOJ picture was believed to have been taken
A wider image showing Ghislaine, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein at the Royal Ascot
Pictured right to left: Jeffrey Epstein, Caroline Stanley (in pink), Ghislaine Maxwell and Andrew Mountbatten Windsor in 2000
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on a pheasant shoot on the Sandringham estate in 2000
It is believed staying at her new Cotswolds home with interior designer husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi their children and her mother is her preferred option.
Meanwhile, she naturally feels diplomatically obliged to be seen with the rest of the royals at the King’s Norfolk estate.
However, the source also claimed she felt compelled to spend one final Christmas at the Royal Lodge with her father, despite his fall from grace over the Epstein scandal.
‘Unless she makes a decision to pick one side and one side only, she will spend a lot of time in the car,’ the source added.
‘Overall it falls to the princesses to soothe family divisions. They are struggling with Christmas.’
Using a royal helicopter to shuttle from venue to venue was never an option, not least because it would be certain to be a PR disaster.
The disgraced duke has been discouraged from joining the Royal Family at Sandringham, leaving the wider family to put on a united front at St Mary Magdalene Church on Christmas morning.
Elsewhere, Princess Eugenie, who lives in Portugal, is said to feel slightly less conflicted as she is ‘tempted’ to stay there with her husband, ‘far from all the drama’.
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie (Pictured with Andrew and Sarah) are in the midst of a dilemma after being invited by King Charles to spend Christmas at his Norfolk estate this year
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie attend a Pre-Christmas lunch party hosted by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace on December 16
The Princesses (pictured with Andrew on June 10, 2016) feel an equal sense of loyalty to the Royals as well as their father and mother
Christmas, traditionally a season that brings the Windsors together under one roof, now threatens to expose every fault line.
The former prince has been dogged by allegations that he sexually assaulted then 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre after she was trafficked by Epstein. He has always denied the accusations.
He stepped down from royal duties in 2019 but the publication of Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir, and the US government’s release of documents from Epstein’s estate, brought more scrutiny over his relationship with the financier.
It is now six years since then, when the FBI asked Andrew to submit to questioning as a ‘witness’ to help its investigation into the crimes of Epstein.
In the 2000s, Andrew spent weeks as a guest at Epstein’s ‘House of Sin’ villa in Florida where children were forced to dress in schoolgirl outfits and have under-age sex with the paedophile American financier.
Andrew has always vehemently denied accusations by Mrs Giuffre that she was forced to have sex with him three times.
In 2022, he paid her an undisclosed sum reported to be £12million to settle her civil claim for sex assault without any admission of wrongdoing.
Andrew, who stayed with Epstein at his mansions in New York, Florida and the Caribbean, and flew on the billionaire’s private jet nicknamed the ‘Lolita Express’, has always insisted he never saw, witnessed or suspected ‘any behaviour of the sort’ that led to Epstein’s arrest and conviction for child sex offences.
Some of the new photos give a stomach-churning glimpse into the ‘décor’ of Epstein’s homes, which were covered in artworks featuring naked girls. One chilling and unexplained photo features a naked baby in a bathroom sink.
The former Duchess of York poses with people on the street, in an image released by the Department of Justice
Another picture released on Friday shows Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson posing for a photograph with people on the street
Sarah Ferguson sits on a sofa in an undated photograph releeased by the US Department of Justice
A photograph of Maxwell pictured outside Number 10 Downing Street features in the dump
After Epstein died in 2019, Andrew made various pledges to help US investigators, but they accused him of stalling. American prosecutors made a public statement lambasting Andrew for giving ‘zero co-operation’. Then they took the drastic step of asking the British Government to facilitate a formal interview with the then duke.
The Home Office was supposed to be ‘processing’ the 2019 request but nothing ever happened. The former duke has resisted calls from victims of Epstein to voluntarily submit to FBI questioning.
He was ‘at least a witness’ to the investigation into Epstein’s crimes, former US attorney general William Barr said recently. There was no response to a request for comment from Andrew.
Other pictures released on Friday also show Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, posing for a photograph with someone on the street and talking to a woman while sitting on a sofa.
In both images, she appears to be wearing the same outfit, although it is unclear if the photographs were taken on the same day.
