An interview with US-based human trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has fueled rumors that Prince Andrew, the British king's brother, may be attempting to legally clear his name.

Andrew settled a case in New York last summer in which he was accused of sexual abuse of minors by paying a large sum of money.

Jochen Buchsteiner

Political correspondent in London.

  • Follow I follow

The main focus was on allegations by the American Virginia Giuffre that she was referred to Andrew in London for sexual services by Maxwell and her then partner Jeffrey Epstein when she was a minor.

One of the pieces of evidence was a photograph of Andrew with his arm around the scantily clad seventeen-year-old;

in the background Maxwell grinned.

In the interview, which Maxwell gave in prison last summer and aired Monday night on Britain's TalkTV, she called the photo "fake": "I don't believe for a second it's real.

There was never an original, and besides, there is no photo.

I've only seen one photocopy so far." Maxwell said she doesn't recall Andrew and Giuffre ever meeting.

However, she qualified this with the sentence: "I know that Virginia traveled with Jeffrey, so it is quite possible."

Many see Giuffre's credibility shattered

In the context of the proceedings, Prince Andrew had denied ever having seen Giuffre and described the photo as manipulated.

However, he refrained from defending his position personally in court - according to his supporters, so as not to overshadow the celebrations of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee.

In November, Giuffre dropped another abuse lawsuit against a star American attorney.

She "may have made a mistake," she said.

Many now see their credibility as shaken.

For Andrew, however, the question arises as to whether – in the words of the British journalist Charles Moore – it is “wise” to take legal action.

Even if Andrew had the law on his side, "only more expense and defamation awaited him," Moore wrote in the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday.

No apologies to the victims

Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2022 for trafficking minors for sexual abuse.

Andrew, with whom she had a long-standing friendship, did not help her in the process.

In her interview, she regretted having met Epstein.

Epstein, a billionaire with connections to the highest circles of business and politics, was found hanged in his cell in New York in 2019, where he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

He had previously been in prison for forced prostitution of a minor.

In the interview, Maxwell reiterated her belief that Epstein had been murdered.

Maxwell, who was considered a celebrity in Britain and America as the daughter of publisher Robert Maxwell, did not apologize to her victims in the interview.

Instead, she complained about the "tasteless food" in prison and described her imprisonment as "one of the most barbaric and horrible experiences a human being can go through."

The only thing that keeps her sane is “the belief that I still have something to give”.

If the war is still raging in Ukraine when she is released, she could use her skills as a paramedic there, the 61-year-old said.