Ghislaine Maxwell would never implicate Prince Andrew in Epstein scandal if she spoke to FBI, insist friends

Ghislaine Maxwell will never implicate the Duke of York if she is ever interviewed by the FBI over the Epstein scandal, the Telegraph has been told.

Ms Maxwell will instead corroborate the Duke of York’s adamant denial of ever having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old ‘sex slave’ trafficked by his friend Jeffrey Epstein.

Ms Maxwell, the daughter of the disgraced media tycoon Robert Maxwell, is understood to be under investigation as part of an FBI inquiry into Epstein’s co-conspirators.

Ms Maxwell is in hiding over her alleged role in procuring young women and underage girls for Epstein, her one-time boyfriend. It is alleged that among the girls recruited by Ms maxwell is Virginia Giuffre Roberts who in turn claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew.

The Duke of York vehemently denies the allegations that date back to 2001.

There has been speculation that Ms Maxwell, whose whereabouts are not known, could be forced to help the FBI with their inquiries in return for some form of plea bargaining deal. But sources close to Ms Maxwell insist that whatever happens she will never drag the Duke, an old friend, into the inquiry.

“It is impossible,” a source familiar with Ms Maxwell told the Telegraph, “Her position is very clear: Prince Andrew did nothing wrong.”

Ms Maxwell, 57, will remain loyal to the Duke, said the source, not least because of her insistence that the claims that Prince Andrew had sex with Ms Roberts on three occasions is false.

Her loyalty to the Duke will provide comfort to him at a time when his friendship with Epstein has come under intense scrutiny, prompted not least by his own ccatastrophic interview with BBC’s Newsnight. 

The Duke, who last saw Ms Maxwell in the spring or summer, told the BBC he had never had sex with Ms Roberts and also said he had no recollection of ever meeting her.

A Buckingham palace spokesman reiterated its “emphatic denial” that the Duke “had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts”.