Ghislaine Maxwell’s household are ‘astonished’ by Andrew’s arrest and say he’s ‘entititled to presumption of innocence and a good course of which our sister by no means obtained’

The family of Ghislaine Maxwell have said they were ‘astonished’ to see Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested.

The convicted sex trafficker’s family called for ‘transparency’ and ‘evidence’ which they claimed the disgraced British socialite ‘never received’.

They added that the former prince is ‘entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair process’.  

Epstein’s longtime girlfriend Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Texas after she was convicted of trafficking young girls to Epstein in 2021. She is the only associate of his who has been jailed.

Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on his 66th birthday yesterday after plain-clothed officers swooped on his Norfolk home in an 8am raid.

The shamed former royal spent 11 hours in police custody before being released under investigation, with his brother, the King, insisting Andrew should be subject to the full force of British justice, saying: ‘The law must take its course.’

Maxwell’s family posted on the X account titled Real Ghislaine, saying: ‘Astonished to see Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested today over alleged misconduct in public office linked to material from the so-called Epstein ‘Files’.

‘He is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair process – which our sister Ghislaine never received.

‘We need transparency, evidence, and the same rules for everyone – not trial by media and political expediency.’

In millions of pages of documents released by the US Department of Justice, Andrew appeared to share reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore with Epstein.

One email from November 2010 appeared to be forwarded to Epstein by Andrew five minutes after he was sent it by his then-special adviser Amir Patel, while another the following month appeared to show Andrew sent a confidential brief on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand province, Afghanistan.

Charles stripped his younger brother of his prince and Duke of York titles last year amid the scandal surrounding Andrew’s friendship with the convicted paedophile.

In an unprecedented and historic personal statement, Charles expressed his ‘deepest concern’ at Andrew’s arrest and pledged his ‘full and wholehearted support and co-operation’ with the ongoing police investigation.

In an interview with BBC Newsnight on Thursday, Sky Roberts, Ms Giuffre’s brother, praised the King for his response following Andrew’s arrest, adding: ‘We have yet to see that from our own government here.’

Ms Giuffre, who was pictured with Andrew’s arm around her waist when she was a teenager in 2001, alleged that she was forced into sexual encounters with him on three separate occasions when she was 17 years old. 

Mr Roberts said that although Andrew’s arrest ‘may not be a direct correlation to what the sexual assault allegations may be’, it was ‘a win’ for his sister and other survivors and ‘a very good start to opening an investigation’.

He said: ‘I commend the King. I say thank you to the King and to the royal family for standing behind survivors, but also just standing behind their people to say, it doesn’t matter your wealth or your power, you don’t have a different set of laws for you that don’t apply to other people.’

Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 after prosecutors presented evidence that she procured girls as young as 14 for abuse by Epstein. 

Giuffre, who died by suicide last year, was working as a spa locker room attendant at Mar-a-Lago in the summer of 2000 aged 16 when Maxwell recruited her as a ‘traveling masseuse’ for Epstein.​

Giuffre alleged that she was trafficked globally by Epstein and Maxwell, enduring sexual abuse at his properties and being introduced to high-profile figures, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who has been stripped of his prince title.

Her account, detailed in 2015 filings, 2019 depositions, and Maxwell’s 2021 trial, revealed Epstein’s recruitment tactics. 

In 2022, Andrew paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with Ms Giuffre despite insisting he had never met her to avoid a humiliating public jury trial that posed a reputational risk to the Royal Family.

Such exposure would have been particularly awkward during his mother’s Platinum Jubilee year. It was understood that around £7million of the payout came from the late Queen as a ‘loan’, with a further £3million from the estate of his father Prince Philip.

A further £1.5million was reported to have been contributed by other members of the Royal Family.

However, sources close to King Charles later confirmed that he was not among them.

Ms Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Girl, was published posthumously last October which gives her account of being trafficked by convicted sex offender Epstein and the three alleged sexual encounters with the then-prince.

He was stripped of his titles in the wake of its release.

Andrew’s arrest sensationally took place on the monarch’s private estate in Norfolk, to where the former Duke of York was recently exiled following his public disgrace. 

The charge is a rare but serious crime, liable for trial by jury, and carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

He has not yet been charged.

Following days of behind-closed-doors planning, officers from Thames Valley Police swept along the Sandringham roads in six unmarked police vehicles at 8am.

In the tightly co-ordinated operation, one car advanced on Wood Farm – Prince Philip’s former home which is being used as a temporary bolt-hole by Andrew – via its main driveway while the others circled towards the back, blocking the rear entrance of the five-bedroom property.

While Andrew was being taken into custody at the unassuming Aylsham Police Station about an hour away, a simultaneous raid was being launched 130 miles west at Royal Lodge, his former home in the grounds of Windsor Great Park.

Andrew’s recent departure from the mansion was so swift that many of his belongings remain in the property.

Neither the King nor Buckingham Palace were informed in advance, signalling the police’s determination to show that no-one – not even a former prince – is above the law.

At 12pm Charles issued his landmark statement, in which he tersely and impersonally referred to his brother only as ‘Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’.

He said: ‘I have learned with the deepest concern the news about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and suspicion of misconduct in public office. 

‘What now follows is the full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated in the appropriate manner and by the appropriate authorities. 

‘In this, as I have said before, they have our full and wholehearted support and co-operation.

‘Let me state clearly: the law must take its course. As this process continues, it would not be right for me to comment further on this matter. 

‘Meanwhile, my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all.’

Significantly, it was signed ‘Charles R. ‘, signifying this was a rare personal statement.

Just after 7pm, following a day of being questioned, Andrew emerged red-eyed and jowly, the image of his release encapsulating his fall from grace as he tried to cower on the back seat of a car driven by privately funded security guards.

The ex-Duke is accused of passing potentially confidential and sensitive documents to his friend, convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, while working as a UK trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.