Disturbing photographs have emerged showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling and talking to an unidentified toddler clutching a breast-shaped ball inside Royal Lodge, with the bizarre images apparently taken in 2011 at his grand Berkshire royal home.
The never-seen-before pictures were published just hours after Andrew’s arrest by police following a raid on Sandringham on Thursday. The then Duke of York is shown grinning with the child on a sofa in one image, whilst another captures the toddler picking up the lewd sphere off the plush dark wood parquet floor.
It is not known who the child in the pictures is. Andrew’s own daughters were in their early twenties in 2011 and did not have children of their own at that time. The identity of the mystery toddler remains unexplained.
Royal Lodge is currently being searched by Thames Valley Police officers investigating the former prince, who was held on suspicion of misconduct in public office before being bailed after 11 hours in custody. The timing of the photographs’ emergence coincides with active police operations at the Berkshire property.
Very few images of the interior of Royal Lodge exist due to it being a private royal home. Princess Eugenie posed for Harper’s Bazaar there in 2016, with the cornicing in those pictures appearing to match those in the background behind Andrew as he plays with the mystery toddler in the 2011 photographs.
The pictures are believed to be contained in the Epstein Files, the millions of documents that were released containing extensive details about Jeffrey Epstein’s connections. The photographs represent rare glimpses into the private interior of Royal Lodge, a residence largely shielded from public view.
The same year the photographs were taken, Sarah Ferguson sent an email to Epstein congratulating him on having a “baby boy.” The former Duchess of York wrote on 21 September 2011: “Don’t know if you’re still on this bbm [BlackBerry Messenger] but have heard from The Duke that you have had a baby boy.”
Ferguson suggested in the email she heard the news from Andrew, offering Epstein her “love, friendship and congratulations” on the birth shortly after the paedophile financier’s release from jail for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14.
The potential existence of Epstein’s secret son, who would now be 14 and in high school, was revealed in the sycophantic email. Ferguson included a barbed attack on Epstein for apparently cutting off contact, writing: “Even though you never kept in touch, I am still here with love, friendship and congratulations on your baby boy.” The message was signed: “Sarah x”.
The timing of both the photographs showing Andrew with an unidentified toddler and Ferguson’s email congratulating Epstein on a baby boy occurring in the same year raises questions about context, though no connection between the child in the photographs and Epstein’s alleged son has been established.
Thames Valley Police operations at Royal Lodge continue through the weekend as part of the ongoing investigation into Andrew. The emergence of the photographs during active searches adds another element to the inquiry into the former Duke of York following his Thursday arrest at Sandringham.
The bizarre nature of the photographs, showing Andrew playing with a child whilst a breast-shaped ball features prominently, has drawn attention given the ongoing investigation and the serious nature of allegations contained within the Epstein Files from which the images emerged.
