Prince Andrew's photo with abuse accuser is 'fake', claims Ghislaine Maxwell

Shamed sex trafficker and ex-British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell claimed that the infamous photograph of sexual abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre with Britain's Prince Andrew is "fake".

A decades-old photo of Andrew and Giuffre together has been circulatingin which he can be seen with his arm around Giuffre's waist and Maxwell standing next to them. It is said that the image was taken in London in 2001. The photo turned out to be crucial to the claim against the prince.

In a jailhouse interview, Maxwell also claimed that she has "no memory" of Andrew and Guiffre meeting. The prison interview with TalkTV is set to air in the UK on Monday evening.

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Her remarks came as an apparent defence for Andrew, who faced infamy and revulsion over claims of sexual assault accusations.

Giuffre had claimed that she had sex with Andrew when she was 17 - a minor as per US law. The 39-year-old also said that she was trafficked by Maxwell and late US financier Jeffrey Epstein to Andrew, younger brother of King Charles III.

Currently, Maxwell is facing a jail term in a Florida penitentiary. She was convictedand received a 20-year sentence for helping late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls.

Andrew has not been criminally charged and denied the allegations. Last year, he settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed sum. Though, he stepped back from royal duties and was stripped of his military titles.

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What did Ghislaine Maxwell say?

As quoted by the media outlets, she said: "It's a fake. 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."

This interview came amidreports surfacing in the UK media that Andrew has been contacting lawyers in a bid to overturn the settlement he agreed with Giuffre.

(With inputs from agencies)

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