Prince Andrew hosted Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Harvey Weinstein at Royal Lodge, his publicly owned Windsor residence, shortly before his daughter Princess Beatrice’s 18th birthday celebrations in 2006.
The trio reportedly visited the Royal Lodge ahead of the main party held in Windsor Castle’s state rooms, which featured a champagne reception and banquet. The BBC confirmed the location by matching trees and patio details from photos of the gathering to images of the Lodge.
This revelation adds new detail to longstanding reports that Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein attended Beatrice’s masked ball but it had not previously been known that they were hosted at Andrew’s private residence.
The visit occurred just two months after US authorities issued an arrest warrant for Epstein over the sexual assault of a minor. Eight days later, he was arrested in Florida.
In a 2019 BBC Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew said he was unaware of the warrant when Epstein was invited. “Certainly I wasn’t aware when the invitation was issued what was going on in the United States,” he said.
The prince, who stepped back from royal duties and recently relinquished his titles, remains under public scrutiny for his links to Epstein. Renewed attention followed the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s memoir, in which she alleged that she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions claims the Duke of York has consistently denied.
Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 but admitted no wrongdoing. He also told Newsnight he did not remember ever meeting her.
Further questions have since emerged about Andrew’s finances and his rent-free occupation of Royal Lodge. Though he reportedly paid for renovations and rent in advance, critics argue the arrangement underscores his privileged position despite no longer being a working royal.
Buckingham Palace has not commented on whether the Duke will vacate the property, but BBC News reports that Adelaide Cottage and Frogmore Cottage were suggested as alternative residences for him and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.
Epstein and Maxwell were frequent guests at royal residences throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s. Photos released during Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial show the pair at Balmoral in 1999, and Epstein also attended royal gatherings at Windsor Castle and Sandringham in 2000.
Maxwell was photographed sitting on the monarch’s throne during a private Buckingham Palace tour in 2002, alongside actor Kevin Spacey a visit reportedly organised by Prince Andrew.
Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence in the US for recruiting and trafficking teenage girls for Epstein’s abuse. Weinstein has been convicted of sexual assault in both New York and Los Angeles, though parts of his conviction are being retried.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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