One of the most shocking photos from a trove of 30,000 documents released as part of the Epstein Files appears to show Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor grinning with his eyes closed as he lies across the laps of five women, as sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell looks down at them and smiles.
The photo is thought to have been taken in the saloon room at Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth II’s beloved residence in Norfolk.
According to royal biographer Robert Johson, Andrew hosted a party for paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell at the estate in 2000, ‘apparently for her thirty-ninth birthday’.
Writing in ‘The Windsor Legacy’, Johson claimed: ‘Staff were stunned to discover the bathrooms were stocked not only with toiletries, but poppers, lube, and condoms.’
The prince had acknowledged the event in his disastrous Newsnight interview, but had then claimed it was ‘just a straightforward shooting weekend’.
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Andrew on hosting Epstein at Sandringham in his BBC Newsnight interview
Emily Maitlis: He was your guest as well, in 2000 Epstein was a guest at Windsor Castle and at Sandringham, he was brought right into the heart of the Royal Family at your invitation.
Andrew: But certainly at my invitation, not at the Royal Family’s invitation but remember that it was his girlfriend that was the key element in this. He was the, as it were, plus one, to some extent in that aspect.
EM: Am I right in thinking you threw a birthday party for Epstein’s girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell at Sandringham?
A: No, it was a shooting weekend.
EM: A shooting weekend.
A: Just a straightforward, a straightforward shooting weekend.
Johnson cited a ‘royal source’ for the claim of the unusual supplies left in bathrooms, including poppers which are drugs inhaled to enhance sex.
All of the women whose laps Andrew appeared to lie on have had their faces blocked out to protect their identities, as is the case for many of the images released from the Epstein Files.
The latest dump of documents was released by the US Department of Justice on Friday night.
Court records, footage and images were uploaded its website, which held users in a queue as it experienced an ‘extremely high volume of search requests’.
![Mandatory Credit: Photo by ROO/Shutterstock (322790m) [L-R] Unknown man with black top hat, Prince Andrew, Ghislaine Maxwell (in green dress), unknown lady (in pink dress) and Jeffrey Epstein (black top hat) Ladies Day, Royal Ascot, Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire, UK - 22 June 2000](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SEI_152686712-3501-e1766311189299.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Some of them show show how the prince brought Epstein into the heart of British high society.
He is also pictured alongside Epstein and convicted sex trafficker Maxwell in the royal box at Ascot, and is apparently also shown shooting on the Balmoral estate in Scotland.
In one photo, Maxwell can be seen posing outside 10 Downing Street, and in another, both she and Epstein are seen with Andrew in the royal box at Ascot.
Andrew lost his title of ‘prince’ as well as his right to be referred to as HRH over his association with Epstein, who died in a US jail while awaiting trial.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for helping Epstein traffick underage girls for sex.
Other famous faces
Among the high profile figures seen in the latest files were former US president Bill Clinton, seen in a hot tub as well as swimming in a pool with Maxwell.
He has said he had no knowledge of Epstein’s crimes at the time of the photos, and distanced himself as soon as they came to light.
Singers Michael Jackson and Diana Ross were also seen in the images, while another celebrity from the music industry was The Rolling Stones frontman Sir Mick Jagger.
Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson also featured. She faced criticism earlier this year after it emerged she had called Epstein a ‘supreme friend’ after publicly apologising for taking money from him to help clear a debt.
Appearing in photographs released as part of the Epstein Files does not imply any wrongdoing in itself.
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