Prince Andrew's former girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey has questioned whether the picture showing the royal with his arm around his rape accuser Virginia Giuffre may be fake.
The former It Girl posted an image on her Instagram page yesterday of Ms Giuffre in what appears to be the same pose and outfit as in the famous picture, but alone on a different background.
The 45-year-old socialite, daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol, asked: "Do you believe that photo is real?
"Or what if I told you a survivor of [Jeffrey] Epstein's told me it's an Irish body double that was edited in."
However, she did not provide any further information to back her claims.
During his 2019 Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew told the BBC's Emily Maitlis he was "at a loss to explain" the famous version of the image. It shows Andrew and Virginia in the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is smiling behind them.
Ms Giuffre alleges paedophile Jeffrey Epstein took the picture.
She claims she, the Prince, Maxwell and Epstein then went out for dinner and then to a nightclub. On their alleged return to the house, she claims that Epstein and Maxwell made her have sex with Andrew. He vigorously denies all the claims.
Paragraph 38 of her lawsuit states: "The below photograph depicts Prince Andrew, plaintiff, and Maxwell at Maxwell's home prior to Prince Andrew sexually abusing plaintiff."
The Duke's refusal to admit the photograph is genuine is behind a line in his official response to Ms Giuffre's complaint, filed last week.
It reads: "Prince Andrew lacks sufficient information to admit or deny the allegations contained in paragraph 38 of the complaint."
Andrew said on Newsnight he could not prove the picture was edited but had reason to believe it was not genuine.
He said: "Nobody can prove that photo has been doctored. I don't believe that photograph has been taken in the way that has been suggested."
US lawyer Rachel Fiset said Prince Andrew's legal response to the lawsuit indicates that he will "seek an expert's opinion" on the photo's authenticity.
Ms Giuffre, 38, is suing Andrew, 61, for unspecified damages, which US lawyers said could "easily" be more than £14million if she is successful.
The mum of three, an American living in Australia, also alleges she was forced to have sex with the Prince at Epstein's home in New York and in the US Virgin Islands.
Andrew vehemently denies all the allegations against him.
