Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell said in an interview from her Florida prison that she feels "bad" for her "dear friend" Prince Andrew, and what has happened to him since revelations of his ties to the late sex trader Jeffrey Epstein came out during her trial.
"I feel so bad for him. I follow what is happening to him," Maxwell said in a remote interview with The Sun published on Saturday. "He is paying such a price for the association. I consider him a dear friend. I care about him."
Maxwell, 60, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2021 for her role in Epstein's sex-trafficking ring that used underage girls to satisfy the desires of a cabal that included some of the world's elite, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Among those tied to Epstein and Maxwell, Britain's Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, resigned his public role in the British royal family in May 2020 after facing allegations of having sex with underage girls while involved with Epstein and his ring, the Mirror reported.
The third son of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip has been trying to rehabilitate his public image since the allegations about his involvement in the ring, and charges by one of the female victims that he engaged in a sexual relationship with her when she was underage.
Maxwell said in her interview that she can understand why Andrew's lawyers were distancing their client from her when they claimed the two were never close.
"I accept that this friendship could not survive my conviction," she told the publication.
According to the DOJ, Maxwell aided Epstein, who committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial, in his sex trafficking operation from 1994-2004, enticing underage girls, some as young as 14, to take part in the sexual abuse at several of Epstein's residences, including an island complex.
During that time, Epstein and Maxwell were running in elite circles and were photographed with many rich, famous, and powerful individuals.
Those included billionaire Bill Gates, former presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, as well as Prince Andrew.
In the interview, Maxwell said meeting Epstein was "the greatest mistake of my life," and that she does not fit that narrative of being the "wicked witch" that enabled his criminal sexual activities.
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