NO LAUGHING MATTER
As Ghislaine Maxwell faces questions over her relationship with Andrew’s paedo friend Jeffrey Epstein, prince chuckles on drive out
PRINCE Andrew laughs on a drive in Windsor yesterday, amid claims pal Ghislaine Maxwell may spill the beans on Jeffrey Epstein’s links to the powerful and wealthy.
Pressure was growing on the royal after the Brit was refused bail and the FBI started unpicking her friendship with the paedophile. It was also revealed Maxwell had married in secret. An insider warned: “She holds information on billionaires and the royals. Faced with possibly dying in prison what would anyone do?”
revealed she and a man posed as a married couple to the estate agent when buying her £800,000 home in New Hampshire. It was paid for in cash in December a month after “Janet and Scott Marshall” viewed it.
They told the estate agent Mr Marshall was ex-British military who was writing a book, while Mrs Marshall was a journalist who just wanted “privacy”.
It was only when the FBI showed the seller a picture of Maxwell did she recognise her as Mrs Marshall.
Agents have been tasked with piecing together Maxwell’s life dating back to the 1990s when she first met Andrew. It includes looking into the access she was given, who she associated with and which, if any, of Epstein’s victims were present.
Prosecutors are understood to want Maxwell to provide her 2001 account of the night Andrew has been accused with sleeping with Virginia Giuffre, then 17, in London – although that is not part of the charges against her. Giuffre has claimed in a civil court she was lent out three times to the duke by Epstein.
The prince has strenuously denied the claims, insisting he has never met his accuser, who he was pictured with.
Following Maxwell’s arrest on July 2, US Attorney General Bill Barr said the duke must speak to the FBI and his team “definitely” want to interview him about his time with Epstein.
He said: “The department wants to talk to Prince Andrew.
“That’s why the Southern District has been making efforts to communicate with him. We’ve made it clear that we’d like to communicate with him.” Officials have accused the royal of providing “zero co-operation”.
But his lawyers hit back, insisting they have repeatedly tried to arrange for the royal to talk with them but have heard nothing back.
It led US attorneys to apply to the Home Office filing a formal Mutual Legal Assistance request to compel Andrew to talk.
Maxwell has long been accused of being the gatekeeper to the secrets the financier took to his grave when he committed suicide last August while awaiting trial for underage sex trafficking.
Epstein was well known to have covertly recorded guests at his homes in New York, Palm Beach, New Mexico and the Caribbean. Andrew stayed at all four of the properties.
The duke also invited the American and Maxwell to Windsor Castle, Sandringham and Balmoral.
Maxwell is being held in the notorious Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where she has been given anti-suicide paper clothes.
She holds information on world leaders, billionaires and royals
INSIDER ON RUMOURS MAXWELL WILL TALK