Those close to the duke believe the photo of him with Virginia Roberts Giuffre may have been doctored because, in reality, there is a 9in height difference between the two

Prince Andrew’s inner circle has commissioned investigators to examine two photographs that put him at the centre of the Jeffrey Epstein paedophile scandal amid fears that he may be the victim of an elaborate “stitch-up”.

Friends of the Duke of York have hired experts to study an image of him strolling with Epstein through New York’s Central Park in 2010, two years after his friend admitted soliciting prostitution from girls as young as 14. They think the picture may have been orchestrated by Epstein.

A forensic analyst is also examining an image from 2001 that shows Andrew with his arm around the waist of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s alleged victims, who was 17 at the time.

She claims that Epstein recruited her as