Andrew Windsor's ex-girlfriend makes major claim about photo of him kneeling over woman in Epstein Files

The picture of the former Prince Andrew leaning over an unidentified woman has become synonymous with the Jeffrey Epstein files, and his former girlfriend has given an unusual take on the image that has further incriminated the ex-Duke of York.

The photograph surfaced after the United States Department of Justice released roughly three million pages of records related to Epstein, the convicted sex offender, in January.

In the picture, Andrew appears in a white polo shirt and jeans, bending over and placing his hand on a woman’s stomach while she lies on the floor. While the context of the image has not been confirmed, there has been no suggestion that the photo itself shows wrongdoing. Andrew, now 66, has repeatedly denied allegations linking him to Epstein’s crimes or any knowledge of the disgraced financier’s activities.

Hervey defends her ex-partner

Now Andrew’s former partner, Lady Victoria Hervey, has offered her take on the questionable image, suggesting the moment captured in the photo may have been innocent.

Hervey, a British model and socialite, and the daughter of Victor Hervey, 6th Marquess of Bristol and Yvonne Hervey, Dowager Marchioness of Bristol, claimed Andrew could have been taking part in a medical training session.

Hervey briefly dated Andrew in 1999, a few years after his famed 1996 divorce from Sarah Ferguson. She has defended him before, including after his controversial interview with the BBC programme BBC Newsnight.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain in 2019, she said: "I watched it and I thought, there is no way, if he is guilty, that he would go onto television and do an interview like that. There’s no way."

According to The Times, the 49-year-old has also claimed that the widely circulated photo of Andrew with his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, was a fabrication.

What Hervey believes Andrew was actually doing

During an appearance on Dan Wootton’s Outspoken podcast, Hervey explained what she believed was happening in the newly surfaced image.

She said: "I messaged Leah, who's Ghislaine [Maxwell]'s lawyer, and Ghislaine is a trained emergency medical technician." The reference was to Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former associate.

Wootton then asked: "So what he's learning to give someone CPR there, you think?"

Hervey replied: "Yeah, it's part of the course."

She also claimed the woman in the photograph was an "assistant of Jeffrey's" and that she was "overage."

During the same interview, Wootton asked if she still believed the photograph of Andrew with Giuffre was fake, to which Hervey answered "absolutely."

Hervey then referenced past allegations involving Wootton himself, telling him: "You were falsely accused and you jump the gun on this, I was quite shocked and surprised actually that you went there just for clicks."

Although she did not specify particular accusations, Wootton — a former host on GB News — faced claims in 2023 that he used fake social media profiles to offer money in exchange for sexually compromising images. He denied the allegations, calling them a "smear campaign" and "simply untrue."

Reporting by the BBC also noted that the journalist denied claims by a former colleague who alleged that, in 2009, Wootton tricked him into sending explicit photos by catfishing him. In documents submitted to the High Court, Wootton said he had never communicated with the man "via any medium" and had never "been in possession" of any "explicit photographs or video" involving him.

Hervey has also spoken publicly about the Epstein records themselves. In an interview with LBC, she argued that being absent from the files would actually reflect poorly on someone, saying anyone not listed was a "loser."

She acknowledged that her own name appears in the documents, explaining: "Epstein knew everybody who was very powerful." She added: "So, like if you were on the scene and you were powerful. If you’re not in those files, it would be an insult because it just means that you were a bit of a loser."

Featured image credit: Max Mumby/Indigo / Getty