Prince Andrew gave Ghislaine Maxwell 'unrestricted access to Palace,' ex-officer claims

2 July 2022, 23:04 | Updated: 3 July 2022, 07:41

Ghislaine Maxwell was given "unrestricted access" to Buckingham Palace by Prince Andrew, an ex-royal protection officer has claimed.

Paul Page, who served as an armed protection officer from 1998 to 2004, told The Sun he would often see Maxwell coming and going from Andrew's apartments.

He said he and his team were told to allow her into Buckingham Palace whenever she arrived as part of their close friendship.

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"She was allowed to enter and exit the Palace night and day at will," he told the paper.

He added he once saw the pair having an "intimate picnic" in the Palace grounds.

Earlier this week, Maxwell was jailed for 20 years for sex trafficking and playing a "pivotal" role in allowing Jeffrey Epstein to abuse girls.

The former girlfriend of the dead paedophile financier was also fined $750,000.

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Maxwell, who lured girls to massage rooms for Epstein to abuse, apologised to her victims before being given her jail term, and said she hoped her sentencing would allow them "peace and finality" after the court heard emotional testimony from the women.

She said she "empathised deeply with all the victims in this case" and that Epstein "fooled all of those in his orbit".

Her association with him would "permanently stain" her, she added, claiming she felt it was "the biggest regret of my life that I ever met him".

After Maxwell was jailed lawyers representing Epstein's victims called for other associates - including the Duke of York - to be investigated.

One woman, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, claimed she was trafficked by Epstein when she was a minor so she could be sexually abused by Andrew.

Andrew was stripped of his HRH status, military titles and royal patronages earlier this year after reaching an out-of-court settlement with his accuser.

Andrew has always denied the allegations against him.

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Brad Edwards, who helped secure the Duke of York's settlement, appealed to the FBI not to stop its probe.

“Obviously, Andrew is one of the targets they will be looking into," he told The Mirror.

"He should definitely be concerned, but.. if he did nothing wrong, then come forward and tell the full story to the FBI, not the media."

Asked about others possibly linked to Maxwell and Epstein, he said: "Let’s hope they’re the next target.

"If we have anything to do with it, they will be."