The trial of Ghislaine Maxwell on sex-trafficking charges has offered observers a glimpse of corruption and abuse at the highest levels of power. Maxwell’s long association with Jeffrey Epstein, as well as her own family history, have each revealed unsettling connections with high-profile figures. The latest of these came in the course of Maxwell’s trial on Thursday, when Justice Department attorneys showed jurors a photograph of Maxwell and Epstein at a log cabin located at the Balmoral estate.
If the estate’s name doesn’t ring a bell, the name of its owner — Queen Elizabeth II — might. A Newsweek report juxtaposes the photo of Maxwell and Epstein relaxing on the cabin’s front porch with one of the Queen and a friend sitting in the same spot.
The article also cites a BBC report noting that Prince Andrew had invited Epstein and Maxwell to the estate in 1999. The photograph itself was found at Epstein’s Manhattan home.
Earlier this year, Prince Andrew was sued by Virginia Giuffre, who accused the prince of sexually abusing her. In September, The New York Times reported on developments in that case — specifically, the British High Court intervening in a way that allowed the case against Prince Andrew to go ahead in the United States.
At the time, Prince Andrew had not yet been served papers, and the logistics of doing so sounded challenging. Why? Because, as the Tims reported, he was visiting his mother at Balmoral.
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