Ghislaine Maxwell 'Feels Bad' for 'Dear Friend' Prince Andrew in Prison Interviews
© AP Photo / Elizabeth Williams
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Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty on 29 December 2021, of recruiting underage girls to be sexually abused by the late billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004 at his properties. She was sentenced in June to 20 years behind bars at a jail in Tallahassee, Florida.
Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted for conspiring with the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls, says she understands why Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton “can no longer consider me as a friend”, British weekly newspaper the Mail on Sunday reported.
The former British socialite who is now serving 20 years at a jail in Florida's state capital Tallahassee, gave her first two interviews since being found guilty of sex trafficking to CBS and Paramount Plus. Maxwell, 60, reportedly gave one of the interviews in person at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Centre in June and the next one remotely from where she is now being held.
The daughter of the late publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell was described as being aware why Prince Andrew’s lawyers downplayed their friendship, saying:
“Yes, I follow what is happening to him… He is paying such a price for the association with Jeffrey Epstein. I care about him, and I feel so bad for him.”
Maxwell, who had known the Duke of York since her days as a student at Oxford University in the Eighties, is cited as adding:
“I accept that this friendship could not survive my conviction. He is paying such a price for the association. I consider him a dear friend. I care about him."
Maxwell reportedly branded as "fake" the notorious photograph showing Prince Andrew with his hand around the waist of a then 17-year-old Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her while she was under age (in certain jurisdictions) and being trafficked by the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Said to have been taken at Maxwell’s London home (where the age of consent is 16) in March 2001, it shows Epstein’s former girlfriend standing in the background.
Virginia Roberts alleged that she was 17 when she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, pictured here with Roberts in early 2001.
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“This photo is not real,” she purportedly said in the interview, backing the disgraced royal’s earlier claim that it had been doctored.
Giuffre sued Prince Andrew for sex abuse. However, the royal, who never admitted guilt, reached an out-of-court settlement with her in February.
‘Cancelled’ Friends
Maxwell also reportedly reminisced in the interviews about her close friendships with former US Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
n this Sept. 2, 2000 file photo, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, driven by Britain's Prince Andrew leaves the wedding of a former girlfriend of the prince, Aurelia Cecil, at the Parish Church of St Michael in Compton Chamberlayne near Salisbury, England. The FBI said Thursday July 2, 2020, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was accused by many women of helping procure underage sex partners for Jeffrey Epstein, has been arrested in New Hampshire.
© AP Photo / Chris Ison
The relationship with Clinton, who traveled to Epstein's private island at least 26 times on the 'Lolita Express' - the late convicted sex trafficker's private jet - was also a “special friendship, which continued over the years”, said Maxwell.
“We had lots in common. I feel bad that he is another victim, only because of his association with Jeffrey. I understand he, like others, can no longer consider me a friend.”
As for former President Trump, Maxwell applauded him for daring to “wish her well” after her arrest.
“We knew each other and mingled in the same circles... in New York, Palm Beach. I was very grateful when he wished me well after [the arrest]. He got bad media for it, but he dared, while others didn’t. I was honoured he remembered me. Well, he is known to say what he thinks. It gave me a big boost.”
Maxwell complained friends were “cancelled” just for knowing her.
“There are many people who have been affected by this story… Friends of mine - who never even met Epstein - lost their jobs. People who literally had nothing to do with him whatsoever have been cancelled. For all those people . . . I think it’s been a very heavy price that has been demanded by the cancel culture. It’s been very difficult for a lot of people,” she's quoted as saying.
Hundreds of public figures, ranging from Hollywood actors and musicians to high-profile politicians, are known to have associated with Epstein, including, Bill Gates, former Senator John Glenn, and former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell.
When speaking from the Metropolitan Detention Centre, where she bemoaned the "harsh isolation", and lack of food and clean water, Maxwell is also said to have revealed that a fellow inmate had planned to kill her while she slept. Accordingly, after being moved to Tallahassee jail, the 60-year-old felt more safe.
As for her association with “the greatest regret of my life," pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, found dead in his cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, she lamented how it had transformed her into a “wicked witch” character.
“And obviously, if I could go back today, I would avoid meeting him, and I would make different choices,” Maxwell said.
