A newly revealed image from the Epstein files shows Prince Andrew lying across the laps of five women, while Ghislaine Maxwell, described as Jeffrey Epstein’s madam, stands behind him.

The photograph, taken at the royal Sandringham estate, has placed Andrew at the center of another serious family crisis.

Over the past weekend, disturbing images from the Epstein files were made public.

Among them were photographs showing billionaire Bill Gates with one of the girls, Bill Clinton relaxing in a jacuzzi, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak embracing convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and, notably, Prince Andrew, the son of the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

In one of the images, Andrew is seen lying on the laps of five women, who appear to be minors, inside Sandringham, the royal estate in Norfolk.

Standing behind him is Ghislaine Maxwell, described as Epstein’s madam, a British socialite who has since been convicted for her role in the trafficking of minors.

A few days after the image was published, and after it became known that Andrew’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, had been invited to celebrate Christmas with the rest of the royal family without their father, Princess Beatrice chose to distance herself from both her father and her mother, Sarah Ferguson.

To avoid discomfort and public tension, she decided to spend the upcoming holiday abroad on a family vacation with her husband, Edoardo, and their children.

“Beatrice told her friends that she is distressed and deeply frustrated by the situation,” said a close friend of the princess.

“She did not want to cause embarrassment and felt torn between her loyalty to the King and her loyalty to her parents.

She did not want to appear dismissive of either side, and she understood that it would be easier to spend the time away with friends”.

Andrew’s younger daughter, Princess Eugenie, is facing the same dilemma.

Friends say the situation is extremely uncomfortable for her as well.

“The princesses are dealing with a very difficult dilemma,” a well-informed source said.

“Both Beatrice and Eugenie are deeply loyal to the King and the monarchy, but they are equally loyal to their parents”.

Returning to the image published over the weekend, questions remain about the identities of the women whose faces are blurred in the photograph.

What is known is that the image was taken in one of the most prestigious rooms of the royal estate.

This is the room where King Charles, Prince William, and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, often watch television, play board games, and spend time together during Christmas.

The royal drawing room is located near the entrance of the estate and is traditionally used by the monarch to host gatherings of more than forty family members to watch the pre-recorded Christmas address, a tradition begun by the late Queen Elizabeth.

The photograph raises new and troubling questions about Andrew’s level of involvement and what he knew about Ghislaine Maxwell, the close associate of a convicted sex offender.

More than anything, it has reignited concern that Andrew brought a woman later found guilty of trafficking minors into the most sacred inner space of the royal family.