Ghislaine Maxwell Had Special Access To Royal Palace; Ex-Officer Blasts Prince Andrew's Claim That He Is Not Close with Jeffrey Epstein's Madam

Prince Andrew's claim that he was not good friends with Ghislaine Maxwell was "nonsense," according to a former Buckingham Palace protection officer.

According to Paul Page, who worked at the palace for six years and told Insider he saw Prince Andrew and Maxwell at least a dozen times and heard of many more trips from colleagues who also monitored visitors to Prince Andrew's residence, he saw them together at least a dozen times.

Prince Andrew denies close friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell

Officers were directed to keep Maxwell's name out of official documents, he said; he also claimed she was given special treatment when she arrived. During an extensive £3 million ($4 million) swindle, Page was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to prison in 2009. His assertions regarding his stay there have already been questioned by Buckingham Palace.

According to BuzzFeed, Page also emphasized the pair's closeness during his trial, citing internal Metropolitan Police records that describe the claims. On Thursday, Page told Insider via phone that he observed the two having a picnic on the grounds of Buckingham Palace in 2001.

The area, he claimed, was unusual for people to assemble because it was near the Queen's chambers within the complex. This happened a day after Prince Andrew's attorneys formally replied to Virginia Giuffre's sexual assault complaint against Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew was sued by Giuffre in August. When she was 17 years old, she stated she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew in Maxwell's London residence by Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew. Prince Andrew has disputed the claim.

Prince Andrew "was a close friend" of Maxwell, according to Giuffre's attorneys in her case. On behalf of Epstein, Maxwell was found guilty of five counts of sex trafficking late last year. Prince Andrew denied being close to Maxwell just as he refuted Giuffre's claims.

When he was working at Buckingham Palace's front gate and was in charge of admitting visitors in, Page claimed he first heard of Maxwell's trips in 2001. However, Page claims that, around midday then, an officer phoned him and told him that Prince Andrew had an appointment and that he should not enter the person's name in the book.

Other ladies were let into the palace without their identities being registered, according to the court records quoted by BuzzFeed. Because she is the daughter of Robert Maxwell, a controversial British media mogul who died in 1991, Page told Insider it drew his eye when he learned Maxwell's identity. Maxwell walked for Andrew's private stairway after her car was waved through, as per Insider.

Duke of York's trial could damage the Royal Family

The charges have been disputed by Prince Andrew, who has requested for a jury trial, but experts worry that a public trial may do irreversible damage.

The royal rejects all of the allegations filed against him and now requests a jury trial on all of the claims contained in the lawsuit, according to court records from New York. A trial date has been scheduled for the end of 2022, which will take place this year between September and December. According to media lawyer Mark Stephens, the duke may still withdraw from a trial in order to prevent a legal drama that may jeopardize the monarchy's status in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year.

A motion to dismiss filed by his lawyers, claiming she had signed a non-suit agreement in 2009, was denied by Judge Lewis Kaplan. After Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that he must stand trial in the United States, Prince Andrew was previously thought to be seeking an out-of-court settlement with Roberts. The amount he will get from selling his chalet in Verbier, Switzerland, was estimated to be up to £10 million ($13 million), The Sun reported.