"He brought these people into the royal fold": Unearthed pic of Epstein, Weinstein and Maxwell at Princess Beatrice's 18th birthday
A photograph of smiling Jeffrey Weinstein, his alleged pimp Ghislaine Maxwell and disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein celebrating at Princess Beatrice’s 18th birthday party has been uncovered.
The shocking image was obtained exclusively by The Sun and shows the trio grinning happily at the camera.
The three are believed to have been invited to be in the presence of royalty by Prince Andrew.
While Epstein, Weinstein and Maxwell mingled at the lavish birthday party in 2006, police had already prepared an arrest warrant for Epstein on child sex abuse charges and were raiding his Florida mansion.
Eight days after the billionaire posed in a US Navy Seal uniform for what would become an astonishing snap, he was in cuffs.
Tuxedo-wearing Weinstein was due in court the month after the photo was taken on account of a sex offence.
Maxwell, seen in a gold mask and red headdress, is currently being investigated by the FBI on suspicion of procuring underage girls for Epstein.
A source told The Sun on Sunday: “This photograph sums up just why the Epstein affair has been so disastrous for Andrew.
“He brought these people into the royal fold, to Windsor Castle no less, where they could rub shoulders with the great and good.
“It is an astounding lack of judgment at the very least.
“This picture will raise further questions about Andrew’s interaction with these individuals.”
The disturbing picture was taken at the AUD $770,296 birthday ball bash in Berkshire on July 15, 2006.
Around 400 guests turned up in mainly Victorian dress for the party’s 1888 theme marking 100 years before Beatrice had been born.
The now-shunned group were photographed on a patio, next to a wicker sofa, in front of the lush Windsor grounds.
It is an identical backdrop to official photos released of the event showing Andrew, ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, Princess Beatrice and sister Princess Eugenie.
The ball continued the Queen’s tradition of giving her grandchildren a party to mark their entry into adulthood.
However she and Prince Philip did not attend the ceremony.
Royals at the bash included Peter and Zara Phillips and Prince Edward and Sophie Wessex.
Guests guzzled down 400 bottles of expensive champagne and ate 4000 canapes.
An estimated 250 guests were invited to a three-course dinner, and later on a further 150 arrived for canapes and champagne at 10pm.
Princess Beatrice wore a AUD$19,251 blue taffeta gown, which was created by Fergie’s British designer friend Georgina Chapman.
Interestingly enough, she would become the wife of Weinstein who she went on to divorce following the #MeToo scandal and dozens of women claimed he had sexually abused or harassed them.
In his Newsnight interview last month, a 59-year-old Prince Andrew claimed he had no idea of the probe into Epstein at the time of the Windsor Castle birthday bash.
Jack Scarola, 72, a lawyer for Epstein’s victims, told The Sun on Sunday: “There was a fairly extensive investigation under way by then.
“It is absolutely certain that at the time of the Windsor Castle gathering, Jeffrey Epstein was aware an investigation was going on – a search warrant had been executed on his home.
“I will leave it to others to judge whether it goes to the heart of concerns about the conduct of Prince Andrew.”