The images were made public by the US Department of Justice as part of a massive document release connected to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. The disclosure included roughly three million pages of records and photographs linked to the disgraced financier.

Among the materials are photos showing the former Duke of York wearing a white polo shirt and jeans while leaning over a woman lying on the floor. The woman’s face has been redacted, and Andrew appears to be touching her stomach in the image.

Although Andrew’s name appears several times throughout the documents, that alone does not indicate any criminal wrongdoing.

An unusual explanation from a former girlfriend

Now Lady Victoria Hervey, who briefly dated Andrew in 1999 following his divorce from Sarah Ferguson, has put forward her own theory about what the photograph might show.

Speaking on Dan Wootton’s Outspoken podcast, she suggested the image could have been taken during a CPR training session.

The host challenged her stance, asking: “Even after the publication of pages of the Epstein files, you are still saying that you don’t believe Virginia Giuffre and Andrew even had consensual sex. You still believe that photo is a fake?”

Hervey replied firmly: “Absolutely.”

Wootton then referred to the image and asked: “What’s going on here then?”

Hervey responded by referencing the presenter’s own past experience with public accusations. In 2023, Wootton faced claims that he had tricked a colleague into sending intimate photos. The Metropolitan Police investigated but ultimately made no arrests and closed the case.

“You were falsely accused and you jump the gun on this, you just went there for clicks,” Hervey argued.

She continued: “I messaged Leah, who’s Ghislaine [Maxwell]’s lawyer. It was an EMT course. Ghislaine is a trained emergency medical technician.”

When Wootton asked directly if she believed Andrew was performing CPR in the photograph, Hervey said: “Yeah, it’s part of the course.

“The girl was an assistant of Jeffrey’s and she was overage as well.”

Earlier controversial remarks about the Epstein files

Hervey has previously drawn criticism for comments about people appearing in the Epstein documents.

Speaking on LBC, she once suggested that anyone not mentioned in the files might be considered unimportant.

“He [Epstein] knew everybody who was very powerful. So, like if you were on the scene and you were powerful, like to be honest… Like, if you’re not in those files, it would be an insult because it just means that you were a bit of a loser.”

Host Tom Swarbrick questioned the statement: “Right, so the people who aren’t in the files are losers?”

Victoria laughed and answered: “Yes!”

Other prominent names appearing in the documents

The document release also included photographs of several high-profile figures, though their appearance in the files does not imply any wrongdoing.

Bill Clinton

Images of the former US president were included in the release. One shows him sitting in a hot tub with an unidentified woman, while another shows him swimming in a pool with Ghislaine Maxwell. No additional context for the photographs was provided.

Clinton has consistently denied knowing about Epstein’s crimes and has not been accused of any misconduct.

After the photos became public, a spokesperson for Clinton said they were “20-plus-year-old” images and emphasized that he ended his friendship with Epstein long before the financier’s crimes became known.

During a deposition before the House Oversight Committee, Clinton was asked about the hot tub photograph. He said he did not know when it had been taken or who the woman in the image was.

In his opening statement, he maintained that he had no knowledge of Epstein’s activities, stating: “I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing,” and adding, “No matter how many photos you show me, I have to things that at the end of the day matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos.”

Bill Gates

Several photos of the Microsoft co-founder also appeared in the documents. One image showed him with Epstein’s pilot, Lawrence Visoski, while another pictured him with an unidentified woman. Both photographs were undated.

Gates has not been accused of wrongdoing and has said he witnessed nothing improper during his interactions with Epstein.

The files also included a 2013 email written by Epstein that alleged Gates had affairs with Russian women and had contracted an STD as a result. Gates rejected the claims, calling them “false.”

However, on 25 February he acknowledged having had affairs and apologized “to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” while stressing that none involved Epstein’s victims.

Gates also said the photographs with unidentified women were taken because Epstein asked him to pose for them.

Stephen Hawking

The late physicist also appeared in the files. One photograph shows him sitting between two women in bikinis whose identities were redacted by the Department of Justice. His name reportedly appeared in the documents more than 250 times, though he has not been accused of any criminal behavior.

On 25 February, Hawking’s family clarified that the photo was taken in 2006 while he was staying at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in St Thomas. At the time, he was attending a scientific conference titled Energy of Empty Space That Isn’t Zero, funded by Epstein.

According to his family, the women in the photo were his “long term carers.”

Additional images show Hawking attending a dinner on Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James, and participating in a submarine tour.

A representative for the family stated: “Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme.”

Lord Peter Mandelson

The files also included images of the UK ambassador to the United States, including one showing him speaking to an unidentified woman while in his underwear. The photo was undated, though Sky News reported that it appeared to have been taken in Epstein’s Paris apartment.

A spokesperson for Mandelson responded: “No one can say who or where the photo was taken. Lord Mandelson has absolutely no idea or indeed whether it has any connection to Epstein at all.”

Documents within the files also alleged that Epstein made three payments totaling $75,000 in 2003 and 2004 to Mandelson. Mandelson has denied the claims, saying he believes them “to be false” and stating he has “no record or recollection” of such payments.

Shortly after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, Mandelson himself was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was later released on bail while investigations continue.

According to Attorney General Pam Bondi, around 300 celebrities were mentioned in the files, though she noted that their names appeared in a “wide variety of contexts.”