Ghislaine Maxwell Speaks in Jailhouse Interviews

As he has fought off allegations of sexual impropriety from years past, Prince Andrew has maintained that he was never close friends with Ghislaine Maxwell. But in one of two jailhouse interviews, Maxwell—now a convicted sex trafficker thanks to her association with Jeffrey Epstein—says quite the opposite. "I consider him a dear friend," Maxwell tells Daphne Barak of the British Mail on Sunday. "I care about him.” However, Maxwell adds that she feels bad for what Andrew is going through, adding, “I accept that this friendship could not survive my conviction." Maxwell spoke to Barak in June from prison in New York and more recently from prison in Florida. In the interviews, she also mentioned two other familiar names:

• Bill Clinton: She and the former president had "a special friendship, which continued over the years," she says. “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.”
• 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."

(More Ghislaine Maxwell stories.)