Ghislaine Maxwell Claims Prince Andrew Photo With Virginia Giuffre Is 'Fake'; Twitter Reacts

Convicted child sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell's claim that a photo of Prince Andrew with his sexual abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre is "fake" was met with mixed reactions on social media.

Maxwell made the allegation while speaking with broadcaster Jeremy Kyle for the special "Ghislaine Behind Bars" from a federal prison in Florida.

The disgraced 61-year-old British socialite is currently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison for carrying out a years-long scheme with her longtime confidante Jeffrey Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls.

During the interview, which aired on TalkTV in the U.K. Monday night, Maxwell said she was "sure" the infamous photo of Prince Andrew and Giuffre was doctored. Maxwell is also in the image, standing behind them and smiling.

"I don't believe it's real for a second. In fact, I'm sure it's not. There's never been an original, and further, there is no photograph. I've only ever seen a photocopy of it," Maxwell said in footage shared to Twitter by "Jeremy Kyle Live."

The Guardian reported that the image was taken in 2001. But Maxwell claimed in her new interview, "I don't believe it happened and certainly, the way it's described would have been impossible. I don't have any memory of going to Tramp [nightclub]," according to CNN.

Maxwell was slammed on Twitter over her claims because she appeared to be defending Prince Andrew, whom Giuffre alleged was introduced to her at London's Tramp nightclub in 2001 with Maxwell, before the then-17-year-old was allegedly forced to perform sex acts with the British royal.

"Horrendous. We all know she's lying. Shame on you, Andrew," one person commented.

"A person convicted of serious crimes and put behind bars CANNOT be taken seriously," another user added.

Actress Vivicca Whitsett suggested, "He put money on her books for that lie."

But some said they believe that the photo may have been doctored.

"Of course it was. The lawyers could not produce the original in court," one commented.

Another added, "Not sure why it reflects poorly on Andrew. Virginia couldn't produce the original and most people think it's a fake."

In November 2019, Prince Andrew, 62, was asked about the photo in an interview with "Newsnight." The royal claimed that he had "no recollection" of meeting Giuffre and had "absolutely no memory of that photograph being taken."

Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in August 2021, alleging she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with the Duke of York on three occasions between 1999 and 2002, when she was a teenager.

Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. He settled Giuffre's sexual assault lawsuit for an undisclosed amount in February 2022.

Andrew stepped back from royal duties and was stripped by his mother Queen Elizabeth II of his military titles and patronages amid the lawsuit.

Giuffre has claimed that her photo with Prince Andrew was taken by Epstein using her own camera, in March 2001, The Guardian reported.

Back in 2011, when Epstein was jailed for sex offenses, a Mail on Sunday journalist asked Giuffre if she had evidence to support her claims that she had been forced to have sex with a number of prominent figures, and she replied that she had a photo of herself with Prince Andrew.

It was then revealed during a 2016 deposition, as part of a defamation suit Giuffre filed against Maxwell, that the Mail on Sunday paid her $140,000 to publish it, as well as $20,000 for two interviews.

During that deposition, Giuffre said she had lent the picture to the FBI in 2011 but hadn't seen it since 2015.

Giuffre settled for an undisclosed sum with Maxwell in her defamation suit.