When Prince Andrew’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell brought paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to Queen Elizabeth’s ‘Dance of the Decades’ at Windsor Castle in 2000

It was a grand event hosted by the late Queen to celebrate several landmark birthdays in the Royal Family. 

The ‘Dance of the Decades’, held at Windsor Castle on June 21, 2000, had a long guest list of aristocrats and was the biggest royal party since the Queen and Prince Philip‘s golden wedding anniversary in 1997. 

That evening, the Queen Mother‘s 100th birthday, Princess Margaret‘s 70th, Princess Anne‘s 50th, Prince Andrew’s 40th and Prince William’s 18th were all celebrated. 

Prince Andrew had invited his friend Ghislaine Maxwell, who brought Jeffrey Epstein – then her boyfriend – as her plus one. 

Paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell at an event in New York in 2005

The late Queen Elizabeth at a Royal Gala celebrating her Golden Wedding Anniversary with Prince Philip in 1997

Prince Andrew with Melania Trump, Gwendolyn Beck and Jeffrey Epstein at a party in Florida in February 2000

The Queen Mother with Prince William at a thanksgiving service held in honour of her 100th birthday in July 2000

It was a lavish black-tie event where guests were served Ruinart champagne and enjoyed live music after dinner.  

The Queen danced enthusiastically and even pulled people onto the dance floor to join her. 

Musician Graham Dalby performed at the event in his swing band and previously recalled: ‘I’ve never seen the Queen so animated, she had a really lovely smile on her face and she was wearing a lovely powder blue dress and she was looking absolutely sunning. 

‘She was just grabbing people and pulling them onto the dance floor. She nearly grabbed me and I thought ‘Ah don’t grab me I can’t dance’ and she got the man next to me and he couldn’t dance either.’ 

Mr Dalby was asked if Epstein could have danced with the late Queen at the ball and said: ‘Yes quite easily. She was just grabbing people every time there was a new dance.’

Though the musician does not remember seeing Andrew on the dance floor and said he, Epstein and Maxwell ‘would have been in a corner with a drink talking I suspect’. 

Prince Harry, Prince William, Prince Charles, the Queen, Prince Philip and the Queen Mother attending a thanksgiving service in July 2000

Epstein attending Ladies Day at the Royal Ascot in June 2000

The Dance of the Decades was held at Windsor Castle, pictured 

The Queen and Prince Philip dancing together at a state ball at the palace in Valletta during a Commonwealth visit to Malta in 1967

Royal writer Tina Brown wrote in her book the Palace Papers how Charles arrived without Camilla, who he was yet to marry. 

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, did attend after three years of being banned from royal functions.

Maxwell and Epstein were there as friends of Andrew.  

A program booklet from the evening, previously revealed by DailyMail.com, shows how their names were listed as ‘Miss Ghislaine Maxwell’ and ‘Mr. Jeffrey Epstein’ among the 800 other star-studded guests. 

The pair went on to be exposed for sex trafficking young girls years later.

Epstein pleaded guilty to one count of solicitation of prostitution and one count of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18 in 2008 and was sentenced to 18 months.

He was arrested again in 2019 for sex trafficking charges but was found dead in his cell a month later. 

Maxwell was then charged in 2020 for sex crimes and was sentenced to 20 years in 2022. 

It was a scandal that rocked the British monarchy and tarnished Andrew too after his association with the former financier and the socialite was revealed. 

Princess Margaret’s 70th birthday was celebrated at the grand party, she is pictured arriving at a Thanksgiving service for the Queen Mother’s 100th birthday 

A programme from the evening detailing the schedule and entertainment available

Ghislaine Maxwell’s name among 800 other aristocrats in the program revealed by DailyMail.com

Jeffrey Epstein’s name on the star-studded guest list

However, since Epstein was not arrested until years after the Royal party, his invitation in 2000 did not cause a stir. 

Andrew also hosted Epstein and Maxwell at Sandringham later in 2000 for a shooting weekend and socialised with him multiple times.

During Andrew’s infamous BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, presenter Emily Maitlis said to the Duke: ‘In 2000 Epstein was a guest at Windsor Castle and at Sandringham, he was brought right into the heart of the Royal Family at your invitation.’

Andrew replied: ‘But certainly at my invitation, not at the Royal Family’s invitation but remember that it was his girlfriend that was the key element in this. 

He was the, as it were, plus one, to some extent in that aspect.’

The Duke was also previously caught up in a lawsuit brought by sex accuser Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to have sex with Andrew three times, including once at Maxwell’s London townhouse when she was 17 years old.

Andrew repeatedly denied having ever met Ms Giuffre. 

In 2022, the Duke of York’s legal team agreed an out of court settlement with Ms Giuffre that was reportedly worth £12million.