A woman who accused Jeffrey Epstein of forcing her to have sex with his powerful friends has denied a claim by allies of Prince Andrew that a notorious photograph of them together was faked.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s attorneys rejected the claim as a “troubling assertion” and reiterated a request to interview Prince Andrew about the late wealthy financier Epstein, who killed himself last month while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The photograph shows Prince Andrew with an arm around Roberts Giuffre’s waist. It is said to have been taken by Epstein at the home of his friend Ghislaine Maxwell during a visit to London in 2001, when Roberts Giuffre was about 17.
Last week, unidentified “sources close to” the prince were quoted by the Daily Telegraph and the London Evening Standard raising doubts about the photograph’s authenticity. They argued Prince Andrew’s fingers were “chubbier” than they appear in the picture and that he was taller than depicted.
But one of Ms Roberts Giuffre’s attorneys, Brad Edwards, has said the photograph is authentic and had not been altered.
Mr Edwards shared a letter addressing the claims that he and David Boies, another of Ms Roberts Giuffre’s attorneys, sent to Prince Andrew this week at the prince’s home in Windsor, following earlier remarks by the prince expressing sympathy for Epstein’s victims. – READ MORE