“I care about him.”
Ghislaine Maxwell has referred to Prince Andrew as a “dear friend” following a bombshell interview from prison.
The 60 year old was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June after she was found guilty of grooming and recruiting four teenagers for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004.
She was convicted on five of six counts against her, including “conspiracy to entice” underage girls to be abused by Epstein and transporting and sex trafficking the teenagers.
In an exclusive interview with CBS and Paramount Plus, the former socialite said: “I feel so bad for [Andrew]. I follow what is happening to him.
“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.”
This is the first time Ghislaine has spoken publically since her arrest in July 2020 and has admitted that her relationship with Jeffrey was “the greatest mistake of [her] life”.
“And obviously, if I could go back today, I would avoid meeting him, and I would make different choices,” she said.
Speaking about her friendship with former US President Bill Clinton, she added: “It was a special friendship, which continued over the years.
“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 as a friend.”
While she has claimed others have kept their distance since her arrest and conviction, there was one person who wished her well – former US President Donald Trump.
“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,” she said.
“I was honoured he remembered me. Well, he is known to say what he thinks. It gave me a big boost.”
Ghislaine also refused to discuss her relationship with Jeffrey, Andrew and her husband Scott Borgerson until her appeal has been heard, but refused to deny that she was in a relationship with Andrew.
She said: “I have read and seen and heard and had reported to me so many monstrous inaccuracies that I can’t even start to pick apart all of them.
“If I pick apart one and don’t address all the others, it’s going to be, ‘Well, she said no to this. What about all those others?’ So, I’m not going to discuss anything of that nature. After the appeal, I’m going to be super-happy to address with you any of those things.”
Commenting on the photo of Prince Andrew with 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, which she is in the background of, saying: “This photo is not real.”
“There was never an original one produced. I don’t even want to start talking about [the girl in the photograph].
Jeffrey’s lawyer Alan Dershowitz previously asked Ghislaine if the picture was real, and at the time, responded: “It looks real. I think it is.”
