Ghislaine Maxwell And Prince Andrew's Relationship Was Much Closer Than Anyone Realized
Is there much more that could happen to disgrace Prince Andrew? He already stands accused of sexual abuse of a minor. Although he has admitted no guilt, the Queen's son has settled out of court with Virginia Giuffre, who brought the charges against him (via CBS News).
After the scandal over Andrew's involvement with Giuffre rocked the royal family, he was stripped of his military titles and will no longer be referred to as His Royal Highness (via BBC).
The once-esteemed prince also has stepped back as a working member of the royal family and as such, was not invited to participate in the recent high-profile photo opp that saw senior royals standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace for the Trooping the Colour ceremony. No matter for Andrew apparently because he conveniently developed COVID-19 in time to save face — or at least this was the opinion of at least one royal expert who exclusively talked to The List about the suspicious timing of the diagnosis.
Now, more damning details have emerged about the royal's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein's ex partner, Ghislaine Maxwell. As the world has come to understand, it was through Andrew's relationship with Epstein that he met Giuffre.
The character of Prince Andrew's relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell is not what we may have thought
It is hard to forget how Prince Andrew attempted to walk back his connection with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in a much-lambasted 2019 TV interview.
About staying with the now-deceased former businessman after he'd already been slapped with his first charge, the royal said, "I mean I've gone through this in my mind so many times. At the end of the day, with a benefit of all the hindsight that one can have, it was definitely the wrong thing to do" (via BBC).
No matter what Andrew has said about his ties to Epstein, he has admitted to meeting the American through British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell (via Newsweek). While details of their connection were previously fuzzy, a new documentary airing in Britain offers chilling details about the pair.
"Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile" contends that Andrew and Maxwell knew one another for decades — and at one point may have been a couple themselves (via Insider). To be fair, the royal did say he'd been acquainted with the now-jailed felon when she was in college.
But were they closer than anyone knew?
Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell were a couple according to an insider
In the documentary airing on ITV in Britain, we learn that Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell socialized and vacationed together for decades — including trips to the Caribbean, Scotland, Florida, New York and Thailand (via Insider). It seems she also enjoyed complete access to Buckingham Palace as the prince's lover if royal police officer Paul Page's recollection is to be believed.
Maxwell's 20-year sentence for her role in sex trafficking was handed down in New York this week. Meanwhile, Page talked to The UK Sun about her frequent visits to Buckingham Palace that convinced him Andrew and the former socialite were in a romantic relationship. In fact, based on his account, it seems that the intimate nature of Andrew's relationship with Maxwell was an open secret among those who worked for the family.
An insider says Ghislaine Maxwell's access to Buckingham Palace was highly unusual
Former royal police officer Paul Page has made some shocking claims about just how close Prince Andrew was with Jeffrey Epstein's former partner and now-convicted felon Ghislaine Maxwell in the 1990s and 2000s.
"She was allowed to enter and exit the Palace night and day at will," he claimed, adding that he and others who worked at the royal residence came to believe the two were a couple based on Maxwell's "unrestricted access" (via The UK Sun).
Page also said he was told not to register her name in the guest book, a practice that was not the normal protocol. Still, it seems the Queen may have known about her son's intimate relationship with Maxwell, since they enjoyed a picnic underneath her window at one point. The former cop also told The UK Sun that on a regular basis, "We would wave her in and she would go straight to the quad and straight up to the Duke of York's apartments."
He even contended that her access was "on another level" typically only reserved for royals.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).