Prince Andrew hosted Epstein, Maxwell and Weinstein at Royal Lodge
At Royal Lodge, Prince Andrew welcomed Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Harvey Weinstein to the prince's private home in Windsor Castle's grounds. The trio spent two months in Windsor, Canada, as part of his daughter Beatrice's masked ball 18th birthday celebrations in 2006, two months after a US arrest warrant was issued for Epstein for the sexual harassment of a juvenile. Epstein, Maxwell, and Weinstein had attended Windsor Castle for the occasion, but not that they had been hosted at Andrew's private home. Andrew, who is under increasing scrutiny over his living arrangements as a result of his friendship with Epstein, hasn't responded to a request for clarification.
Epstein, Maxwell, and Weinstein are said to have visited Royal Lodge ahead of the main party, which took place in Windsor Castle's state rooms and included a champagne reception and banquet. The Crown Estate, a propriety company owned by the monarch, owns Royal Lodge, but it operates independently with proceeds going to the Treasury. In a previously published photo of the trio with other photos of Royal Lodge, the BBC has matched the trees and patio wall. Before guests arrived at the castle's main party, a witness told the BBC that they remembered Weinstein and Epstein at a drinks function in the back garden of Royal Lodge. Eight days after the incident, Epstein was arrested by police in Florida. When asked by BBC Newsnight in 2019 why he invited Epstein to his daughter's 18th birthday two months after the US arrest warrant was released, Andrew replied: "Certainly I wasn't aware when the invitation was released what was going on in the United States, and I wasn’t aware until the media picked up on it becaUSe he never said anything about it.
Following the posthumous publication of Virginia Giuffre's memoir, Andrew relinquished his positions earlier this month. Ms Giuffre's book claims she was forced to have sex with the prince on three separate occasions, including once with Epstein and
at alleight other young girls. Andrew, who signed a financial deal with Ms Giuffre in 2022, has denied there was any wrongdoing. He told BBC Newsnight that he did not recall seeing Ms Giuffre
and that theynever had any sort of sexual contact
and hadnobody have any kind of sexual relationship. When it is not being a working royal, new concerns have been raised about how he can finance his lifestyle. Despite paying for repairs and rent in advance, the revelation that he only ever paid a token annual rent on his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge, has reignited concerns about his living arrangements. Prince Andrew has not discussed whether he will move out of his house or wherever he might go. However, BBC News knows that two other properties in Windsor Castle's grounds, Adelaide Cottage, and Frogmore Cottage, were among those that were suggested to Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson a few months ago.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell appeared to be regular guests at royal residences. During Maxwell's child trafficking trial, prosecutors released a photo of the two at Balmoral, the royals' private Highland estate. Epstein is said to have been taken in 1999, when Andrew reportedly invited the couple to stay at the Scottish castle. In 2000, Epstein attended Maxwell's birthday at Sandringham, Norfolk's private country retreat. The former event, according to BBC Newsnight, was "a straightforward shooting weekend.
In 2002, Ghislaine Maxwell visited Buckingham Palace as part of a private tour. The Daily Telegraph obtained a photograph of her sitting on the throne next to actor Kevin Spacey. Prince Andrew is thought to have arranged the tour, but Jeffrey Epstein was not involved in it. Andrew has confirmed he traveled on Epstein's private jet, remained on his private island, stayed at his Palm Beach mansion, and visited Ghislaine Maxwell's home in Belgravia, London. While awaiting a child exploitation trial, Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison cell in August 2019. After the parents of a 14-year-old girl told police in Florida that Epstein had molested their daughter at his Palm Beach home, he signed a plea agreement with prosecutors in 2008. Maxwell, a female teenager from the United States, is currently serving a 20-year prison term for recruiting and trafficking four teenage girls for sexual assault by Epstein, her then boyfriend. Weinstein has been found guilty of sexual assault in New York and Los Angeles by law, but he has obtained a retrial on some of his convictions.
Additional reporting by Paul Myers.
