Annette Witheridge dies aged 66: Fleet Street freelancer whose stellar career spanned reporting on scene of 9/11 to securing THAT photo of Andrew and Epstein passes away after short illness

One of Fleet Street's most respected journalists who was behind the notorious photo of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein in New York has died aged 66.

British freelance reporter Annette Witheridge worked with photographer Jae Donnelly to capture the photo of the King's brother and the convicted paedophile in 2010.

The picture of the two men in Central Park was crucial as it revealed they still had a friendship, two years after the American financier pleaded guilty to child sex charges.

Ms Witheridge was also one of the first reporters on the scene after 9/11, given she was only two blocks away when the first tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.

She had a string of other scoops, including being the first journalist to find singer Gary Glitter in Cuba after he was accused of possessing child pornography in 1997.

Ms Witheridge also went undercover on tour with Oasis and had a drinking session with Noel and Liam Gallagher - and ghost wrote a book with Eminem's mother.

Friends remembered Ms Witheridge as a raconteur and generous host at her annual summer parties who was always telling war stories from her long career. 

She retired in 2018 after 24 years based in New York and returned to the UK to spend more time with her family, who announced her death on social media last Friday.

They said in a statement: 'Heartbreaking news. Our lovely Annette passed away this afternoon after a brief illness. Her family and friends here and overseas are devastated. She was one of the special ones.'

Ms Witheridge was born in Sutton Coldfield in 1960 and began her journalism career on the Tamworth Herald and Coventry Evening Telegraph – before getting her first staff job on a national newspaper at the now-defunct News of the World aged 23.

She was often working in the US so decided to move to New York in 1995 and set up an agency called Big Apple News with Allan Hall, a journalist now based in Berlin.

In 1997, Ms Witheridge tracked down Glitter and also covered the trial of British au pair Louise Woodward, who was jailed for shaking a baby to death in Boston.

Another huge period of her career came in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks, when she was so quickly on the scene that she arrived before the barricades had even gone up.

Speaking to fellow New York freelancer Daniel Bates in Press Gazette in 2018, she said: 'I was two blocks away when the first tower collapsed. I remember an odd rumble, astonishingly quiet, followed by massive black cloud snapping at my heels.

'For the next 12 months we covered very little else except heartbreak. It was very grim but some of the people I interviewed have become lifelong friends.'

Ms Witheridge later sold Big Apple News and helped Debbie Nelson, the mother of rapper Eminem, write her 2007 autobiography 'My Son Marshall, My Son Eminem'. 

Her biggest moment came nearly a decade later when she was involved in the 2010 photo of then-Prince Andrew and Epstein - immortalised in the Netflix film Scoop.

Ms Witheridge was portrayed in the production by Tony-nominated actress Kate Fleetwood, who has also had small parts in Star Wars and Harry Potter movies. 

In real life, Ms Witheridge and Mr Donnelly were sitting outside Epstein's mansion on December 5, 2010, after learning that Andrew was in New York on a private visit.

She saw his security, later telling The Mail on Sunday: 'There were men with walkie-talkies with British accents so it didn't take a genius to figure out Andrew was there.'

The prince and Epstein left the mansion at 1.40pm. Donnelly followed on foot and took a picture from ground level before going up some rocks to get a clearer shot.

In the months after Epstein's death in August 2019, some observers speculated that the photo may have been orchestrated by Epstein in a bid to boost his image.

But Ms Witheridge denied this, saying: 'It was categorically not staged. The picture was the result of old-fashioned shoe-leather reporting. I know, I was there.'

She added: 'The fact no one saw the picture being taken is testament to the photographer's skill. It's preposterous to say there was any kind of conspiracy.'

The News of the World published the photo on February 20, 2011 in an article with the headline: 'Prince Andy and the Paedo.' The newspaper's final edition was that July.

Speaking to ITV's Lorraine in April 2024, Ms Witheridge said of Andrew: 'I didn't honestly think he was stupid enough to stay there because Jeffrey Epstein had been to prison. He was a sex offender.

'But as I arrived on the street I heard British accents… men talking into their cufflinks. I was like, that's the royal protection squad - so I knew somebody was there of great importance.

'So Jae Donnelly, the photographer, and I then sat there, sat there and sat there. And on the next day, the Sunday, about 1pm, suddenly the door opened and Jeffrey Epstein and Prince Andrew walked out, which meant that Jae could actually rush off into the park and actually take the pictures - it wasn't easy.'

She added: 'I think if we hadn't got that picture, Andrew would have continued to deny any friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.'

Paying tribute to Ms Witheridge online after her death, Mr Donnelly said: 'I'm truly saddened to hear of your passing today, my heart just sunk, it's devastating news. 

'I've known you 22 years and you were amazing and kind. So sad to hear. I feel blessed we shared something that made a difference in this world. Sleep in peace.'

Ms Witheridge ended her career in 2018 having written for every national newspaper in Britain and contributing to dozens of magazines and TV stations across the world.

Speaking to Press Gazette about how the industry had changed, Ms Witheridge said: 'When I first arrived in America, I relied on copy takers to get my stories over to Fleet Street, faxes to send over magazine features and a giant 'steam-engine' computer that bounced stories via a satellite to the UK.

'By 1997 we had internet – sort of – but it was extremely slow and not very reliable. Photographers travelled with developing kits and $10,000 wire machines. Digital photography, smartphones and the internet changed everything.'

Ms Witheridge's former colleague Nick Hudson paid tribute to her over the weekend, saying she will 'forever be known as the scribe who helped bring down a majesty in waiting'.

He wrote on Facebook: 'The Heavenly Herald rejoices tonight in finding the unassuming princess of popular journalism now in its midst. Those of us left below are distraught and devastated by the suddenness of her passing.

'We are unable to comprehend the logic behind the luck of the genetic draw that spares the playboy prince who ended up staying at Epstein's Madison Avenue home in what she described as the 'street of perverts' and deals the Tarot card symbolising the end of a cycle to a crusading giant of humankind.'

Mr Hudson added that Ms Witheridge 'reached her zenith as the journalistic queen of New York City'.

He also wrote: 'As her one-time chief reporter, I remember Annette as the shy 16-year-old from Sutton Coldfield who eventually stepped from the shadows to stand tall in the spotlight of a 24-year stint in the celebrity goldfish bowl – achieving her 15 minutes of fame being depicted in the Netflix ultimate 'Scoop' of the 21st century.

'Farewell sweet Annette. A new generation of rightful heirs of press freedom have been handed the baton down by your good self. You crossed the finishing line Fleet Streets ahead of your peers. Take your rest.'

Journalist Matthew Steeples tweeted: 'She will go down in history as the lady whose tenacious manner resulted in the Andrew formerly known as prince being brought to book over his clear lies about 'ending' a friendship with the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Fly high now in the skies, dear Annette.'

He added: 'I only met Annette Witheridge once, but we exchanged many an email. This tenacious and terrific lady got 'that photo' of Jeffrey Epstein and the then Prince Andrew in Central Park and wrote the story that changed the entire course of history.

'I am very sad to hear of this amazing lady departing; she'll be quaffing the finest of wines in the skies.'

Others described Ms Witheridge as an 'excellent journalist and even better person' and 'one of the kindest most legendary journos I've ever met'.

A further tribute remembered her as a 'wonderful person; warm, generous, full of terrific stories and - of course - an incredibly talented journalist'.

And another said: 'This is such heartbreakingly sad news. She was utterly fabulous both as a journalist and human being. Rest in peace Annette.'