Prince Andrew‘s aides have enlisted forensic experts to examine photos of the royal with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Roberts Giuffre after claiming the photos were “staged” and “doctored.”
WATCH: Prince Andrew seen laughing with celebrity media lawyer
According to The Times, the Duke of York allegedly recruited a team to examine the photos that placed him in the middle of a sexual abuse scandal.
One of the photos showed Prince Andrew walking through Central Park in New York with the disgraced financier – two years after Mr Epstein admitted to his sex trafficking crimes.
Another photo shows the 59-year-old in the London residence of Mr Epstein’s former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2001.
The damning photo depicts Prince Andrew with his hands around the waist of Virginia Roberts Guiffre (who was only 17-years-old at the time and claims she was one of Epstein’s alleged victims).
According to The Sun, lawyers for Prince Andrew questioned the validity of the photo after sources claimed the royal’s fingers appeared to be “too chubby.”
What’s more, a source told The Times that the heights of both Prince Andrew and Ms Roberts appear off.
“Prince Andrew does not recognise the photo. And the more you look at it, the odder it gets. The Duke is 6ft. Virginia Roberts Giuffre is 5ft 3in,” the insider told the publication.
“There are certainly not nine inches between them. There is something decidedly wrong about it.”
However, according to The Sun, the US Justice Department and the FBI still believe the photos are authentic.
A statement from Buckingham Palace denied Prince Andrew’s involvement with Mr Epstein’s sex trafficking scandal – which resurfaced earlier this year after Epstein’s death by suicide in his jail cell.
“Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue,” the statement from Buckingham Palace read.
“It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation.”
Other figures known to have associated with the disgraced socialite include Donald Trump and Bill Clinton – who have both rejected any suggestion they were aware of his criminal behaviour.
In August, Prince Andrew released a statement commenting on Mr Epstein’s crimes.
“At no stage during the limited time, I spent with him did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction.”
At the time, Ms Roberts’ lawyer, Brad Edwards criticised Prince Andrew’s statement, stating that he had extended an invitation to the royal to answer “real questions”.
“With respect to Prince Andrew or anyone else who has made a gratuitous statement, if anyone who wants to come over here and talk to us and answer real questions that the victims have and that we have on their behalf we welcome that,” the lawyer said.
“I’ve personally extended that invitation to Prince Andrew multiple times.
“Any time we are ready and we have a lot of questions for him.”
Since the reports surfaced, photos have emerged of Prince Andrew leaving lunch at harry’s Bar Members Club – the same place David Cameron was spotted leaving in 2016.
The Prince – who has been headline news over the past month – was surrounded by his team of bodyguards as left the venue.
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