GHISLAINE Maxwell’s brother has said that Prince Andrew will not be called as a witness when she stands trial this summer.
Ian Maxwell, 64, said the royal couldn’t be trusted on the stand after his “self-destructive” Newsnight interview.
Ghislaine, 59, a British socialite, is accused of procuring young girls for her former lover Jeffrey Epstein – a convicted paedohpile and alleged sex trafficker.
The British socialite now faces eight counts after being hit with two new sex trafficking charges this week.
Her trial is set to begin in July, and Maxwell is facing charges for alleged offenses between 1994 and 2004.
Now her brother says it would not be a good idea for Prince Andrew to stand in court – after his last TV appearance.
The 59-year-old was interviewed at length by BBC’s Emily Maitlis about his relationship with the financier and the accusations against him.
The Duke of York’s “alibi” for the night he was alleged to have spent with Ms Giuffre appears to be in tatters after it was reported his daughter Princess Beatrice has “absolutely no recollection” of the Pizza Express birthday party her father claimed to have attended.
Ian told the Telegraph: “It was the most remarkable piece of self destruction.
“I think he would be – as he proved in that interview – I think he’s a pretty serious hostage to fortune.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Virginia Giuffre claimed that she had sex with Prince Andrew in a toilet when she was 17, after a night where he had been plying her with vodka in a posh London club.
She claims she first met royal dad-of-two Prince Andrew on a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17, with Epstein and Maxwell also there.
The Prince has strongly denied having sex with her in London and New York, and a year later at an orgy on Epstein’s private island in the Virgin Islands.
But Maxwell’s brother doesn’t believe the disaster interview had any bearing on the pursuit of Ghislaine.
He explained: “I don’t actually agree that this particularly reignited [the case].
“I think it was, it was bubbling away there after Epstein died… it [the interview] did sort of shine a light back on it, but it was the most remarkable piece of self-destruction.”
Ian has previously spoken out about his sister’s living conditions in prison.
She remains on round-the-clock suicide watch with US authorities fearing she will meet the same fate as Epstein – who killed himself in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial.
According to her family, Ghislaine is being held in a tiny cell and is watched by cameras 24/7.
Her brother says her hair is falling out, she has lost 20lbs and is losing “the ability to concentrate.”
Ian told the Telegraph: “As you know, my sister is being held in the most appalling conditions and subjected to brutal and unusual treatment and yet she is a pretrial detainee.
“This means she is innocent and she is entitled to the presumption of innocence.”
Ian added that his sister’s treatment was a “disgrace to any civilised democracy.”
Ghislaine was arrested by the FBI at a secluded $1million house in New Hampshire last July.
She is also charged with perjury in relation to a 2016 sworn testimony in which she denied trafficking alleged Epstein victim Virginia Roberts – who alleges she was forced to sleep with Prince Andrew, a claim he denies.
Ian said his sister, the Oxford-educated daughter of media tycoon Robert Maxwell, is being held in a cell measuring 6ft by 9ft which includes a “concrete bed and toilet.”
He said: “She has 10 cameras trained on her, including one mobile camera 24/7.
“Four guards observe her all the time and presumably another is looking at the camera feeds.
“She is not allowed in the corners of her cell. She is not allowed within 2.5ft of the cell door.”
Her brother explained that she has endured these “brutal” conditions for 250 days.
“This is simply wrong”, he adds.
Ian said the family are “convinced she will be acquitted” insisting the public impression of his sister is “entirely wrong.”
He said the family has “managed to pull together” $28.5million for Ghislaine’s bail.
Ian said his sister even gave up her British and French passports to prove to US authorities that she was not a flight risk – something he calls “a great sacrifice.”
The socialite has been denied bail and faces 50 years in jail if found guilty on all charges.
She denies all allegations of misconduct made against her.
