British royalty again caught in Epstein scandal

The British royal family has been dragged once again into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal as a photograph emerged showing the late financier’s alleged accomplice posing on a throne at Buckingham Palace.

The image of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell sitting alongside “House of Cards” star Kevin Spacey, who has also faced allegations of sexual misconduct, apparently at the Queen’s London residence in 2002, was published by the U.K.based Daily Telegraph newspaper on Saturday.

CNN could not confirm why Ms. Maxwell and Mr. Spacey were at the palace. The paper reported the pair had been invited into the throne room by Prince Andrew, who has come under public pressure to explain his relationship with

Epstein and allegations by one of his accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Ms. Giuffre has alleged that she was forced into sexual encounters with the prince and other men while she was underage. They all have denied the allegations.

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the photograph. A spokesperson for Andrew also declined to comment.

Andrew was a friend of Epstein and has been photographed with Ms. Giuffre and Ms. Maxwell in the past. In a November BBC interview, Andrew said he had never met Ms. Giuffre and suggested that the photo of him and Ms. Giuffre may have been doctored.

Mr. Spacey’s career collapsed in November 2017 following several allegations of sexual assault and harassment. Charges against him in the U.S. were dropped last July, and he denies most of the claims.

CNN royal correspondent Max Foster said that the throne represents a symbol of a monarch’s authority, and “no one else has the right to sit in it. That would be seen as a sign of disrespect towards queen and country.”

Ms. Maxwell, the onetime girlfriend and alleged accomplice of Epstein, was arrested Thursday morning and charged by federal prosecutors in New York for her alleged role in recruiting, grooming and sexually abusing underage girls as young as 14 as part of a yearslong criminal enterprise.

Ms. Maxwell, 58, and Epstein, who died by apparent suicide while awaiting trial, are accused of luring the girls to residences, including his Upper East Side mansion, his Palm Beach estate and his Santa Fe, N.M., ranch, as well as London, where she has a home.