Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed that an infamous photo of Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts is a fake - but she won't give reasons why.
Andrew is in the centre of the photograph, which was taken in March 2001.
It appears to show his hand around the waist of Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre, when she was 17.
Behind the lense of the camera is disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein who is reported to have taken the picture in March 2001.
Behind the lense of the camera is disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein who is reported to have taken the picture on March 2001.
It was published in the Mail on Sunday on February 27, 2011 and became a symbol of Ms Giuffre’s case that she had been sexually abused by Andrew on three times after being trafficked by Epstein.
The Duke of York continues to vigorously deny any allegations and insists the image has been doctored.
Maxwell, 60, a once-close friend of Andrew, has now said she too believes it is a fake, without revealing why.
Speaking from prison, she told the Mail on Sunday : "At this time, I no longer believe that to be a true image, and I don’t believe that it is what it appears to be."
Her statement contrasts with what most experts and Virginia Giuffre herself says.
Maxwell, however, seems convinced. She added: "There are so many things that are wrong with it. As soon as my appeal is over, I will be very happy to discuss it with you."
Her conviction that the image is a fake appears to contradict her earlier stance.
In a 2015 email exchange between her and Alan Dershowitz, one of the most high-profile lawyers in the United States, Dershowitz wrote: "Dear G. Do you know whether the photo of Andrew and Virginia is real? You are in the background."
Just 11 minutes later, Maxwell emailed back her response. "It looks real. I think it is."
Maxwell now reckons there are more than 50 issues with the photo, according to the report.
Mrs Giuffre said in legal documents for a 2016 defamation case she had given original picture to the FBI in 2011 when they arrived at her house in Australia.
She then added: "So I don’t believe it’s a true picture."
The original was returned and may now be in storage.
Documents released in the case say two FBI agents collected 20 original photographs from Giuffre, which were are believed to include the one of her with Andrew.
