Prince Andrew settled the US civil case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and the Duke sexually assaulted her at the age of 17, earlier this year.

The out-of-court settlement was not an admission of guilt as Andrew has vehemently denied all allegations but his reputation remains significantly tarnished.

Andrew broke cover on Wednesday – the day after British socialite Maxwell was handed 20 years behind bars in the US for sex trafficking young girls for billionaire paedophile Epstein.

Andrew looked pensive as he was pictured driving near Windsor Castle on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, Maxwell told her victims she hoped her sentence would bring them “a measure of peace and finality” moments before she was handed 20 years behind bars. 

Maxwell arrived for the hearing wearing a prison-issued uniform, with shackles around her ankles which rattled as she made her way to her seat in the courtroom in the Southern District of New York.

She was given the chance to speak and, to the surprise of the court, opted to do so.

Maxwell had previously declined to testify in her own defence during the trial.

She said in a lengthy statement: “Your honour, it is hard for me to address the court after listening to the pain expressed in the statements made here today.

“I want to acknowledge the suffering (caused) and empathise…I acknowledge that I have been convicted in helping Jeffrey Epstein in these crimes.”

Prince Andrew was understood to be “angry” and “bewildered” over accusations he failed to co-operate with the FBI in its Epstein investigation.

While Buckingham Palace refused to officially comment, an insider previously told The Telegraph: “The Duke is more than happy to talk to the FBI but he hasn’t been approached by them yet.