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A photograph showing former Prince Andrew and veteran British politician Peter Mandelson, both in bathrobes, sitting with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has resurfaced in previously released documents.
The undated image, first reported by ITV News, is believed to be the earliest known photograph of the two men with Epstein. Both figures are currently under scrutiny in the UK over their past links to the convicted sex offender.
In the photo, Andrew, the younger brother of King Charles III, and Mandelson, a former British ambassador to the United States, are seen sitting barefoot on a wooden deck, wearing bathrobes.
Mugs bearing the US flag sit on a table in front of them, while Epstein stands nearby dressed in a dark shirt and light trousers.
According to ITV, the picture was taken on Martha’s Vineyard in the US state of Massachusetts and is believed to date from between 1999 and 2000, before Epstein was jailed.
The photograph was part of millions of files released earlier this year by the United States Department of Justice.
Last month, Andrew and Mandelson were arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office over their connections to Epstein, who was convicted of child sex offences in 2008.
Andrew, who lost his royal titles last year, is accused of sharing sensitive documents with Epstein while serving as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.
Documents have also suggested that Mandelson passed official information to Epstein while serving as a government minister, including during the 2008 financial crisis. Both men deny any wrongdoing and have not been charged.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed Mandelson from his role as envoy to Washington in September last year after new details about his friendship with Epstein emerged.
Andrew previously settled a civil case in the United States in 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she had been trafficked to have sex with him on several occasions starting in 2001, including when she was 17.
Andrew has consistently denied the allegations, and the settlement included no admission of liability.
Both Andrew and Mandelson appear repeatedly in the so-called Epstein files. Some images reportedly show Andrew in compromising situations with unidentified women, while Mandelson appears in photographs wearing only underwear.
