Ghislaine Maxwell’s brother Ian speaks up for Andrew: Says royal is ‘single man’, his sex trafficker sister ‘is on the right side of history’ and Virginia Giuffre was ‘a monster’

Sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell’s brother has spoken out in support of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, claimed his sister is ‘on the right side of history’ and described paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s victim Virginia Giuffre as ‘a monster’. 

Ian Maxwell, 69, launched a shameless defence of his British socialite sister, 64, who is currently languishing in a US jail cell having been sentenced to 20 years behind bars for child sex trafficking and other sex offences.

Speaking on the same day that the former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, Mr Maxwell acknowledged his behaviour was ‘sleazy’ but hit out at the Royal Family for leaving him ‘completely isolated’.

Describing Andrew, 66, as a ‘single man’, he said: ‘What he did or didn’t do with various women was sleazy, humiliating for him and embarrassing for the royals. But there he is, kicked out of his home, completely isolated and unlike Ghislaine, he doesn’t even have a supportive family.’

He noted that the ex-duke hasn’t been charged with any sexual offence as he seemed to criticise the Royal Family for not providing Andrew with enough support.

It comes after Andrew was stripped of all his royal titles and privileges over his links with convicted paedophile Epstein, before being evicted from his 30-room mansion Royal Lodge on the Windsor estate.

On Thursday he was arrested at his new home, Wood Farm on the Sandringham estate, and held for around 11 hours before being released.

Turning to his sister, Mr Maxwell seemed to maintain her innocence in the interview with the Telegraph, describing her as Epstein’s ‘fall guy’.

The businessman and son of publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell claimed Ghislaine ‘would be free’ if Epstein, who died in a New York prison cell in 2019, was still alive, adding that her trial was not fair.

Epstein’s former lover was found guilty of five sex offences, including trafficking underage girls, in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in jail.

She has since attempted to appeal her convictions multiple times without success.

Although her brother accepted that many young women were harmed by Epstein, he continues to argue that many were over the age of legal consent and therefore ‘have agency’.

Epstein has been accused of having girls as young as 14 trafficked around the world – with the help of Ghislaine – for him and others to sexually abuse.

Mr Maxwell even went as far as to claim that ‘feminists’ should support his sister because of her ‘abysmal’ treatment.

‘I believe my sister is on the right side of history,’ he added. 

The businessman also branded Andrew’s most prominent accuser, Virginia Giuffre, a ‘monster’ and claimed she lied about being sexually abused. 

Andrew reached a reported £12million out of court settlement with Ms Giuffre in 2022, in which he admitted no wrongdoing.

She maintained that she had been trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell and forced to have sex with the then-duke on three occasions when she was 17, including in Ghislaine’s London townhouse and on the financier’s private island. 

Ms Giuffre died by suicide in April 2025, aged 41, leaving behind three children.

‘I know who the monster is here and it’s not my sister, it’s Virginia Giuffre and her falsehoods that have had devastating ramifications for Ghislaine,’ Mr Maxwell said. ‘I didn’t shed a tear when she died.’ 

As for his sister’s future, Mr Maxwell vowed to continue fighting to have her convictions overturned – and suggested she could write ‘an amazing book’ about her experiences. 

Andrew has always denied any wrongdoing in his associations with Epstein. 

In his infamous Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019, he denied ever meeting Ms Giuffre and implied a photograph of the two of them together might have been doctored.

But emails from the latest Epstein files contradict his claims. The Daily Mail revealed earlier this month how sex offender Maxwell stated ‘for the record as fact’ that she had not just introduced Andrew to Ms Giuffre, but the image was taken in her home that same night.

In a series of 2015 emails released in a tranche of more than three million Epstein-related documents, disgraced socialite Maxwell had sent him an email asking for his approval.

She had drafted a statement designed to hit back at claims in the press, which stated: ‘In 2001 I was in London when (redacted) met a number of friends of mine including Prince Andrew.

‘A photograph was taken as I imagine she wanted to show it to friends and family.’

In the body of the email, she added: ‘I am stating for the record as fact,’ before continuing: ‘Prince Andrew came to my house to visit me – (redacted) was in the house and they did meet.’

It is believed the redactions refer to Ms Giuffre. 

Sky Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s brother, told BBC Newsnight that the correspondence ‘truly does vindicate’ his sister.

‘It shows that not only was she not lying this entire time, even though many people across multiple countries indicated that she was, she was telling the truth.’