Ghislaine Maxwell‘s brother, Ian Maxwell, is criticizing the British royal family for its treatment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the wake of his recent and unprecedented arrest.
“There [Andrew] is, kicked out of his home, completely isolated and unlike Ghislaine, he doesn’t even have a supportive family; even his daughters are at sixes and sevens about what to do,” Ian, 70, told U.K. publication The Telegraph in an interview published on Friday, February 20.
Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested by Thames Valley Police on his 66th birthday on Thursday, February 19, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The former prince is accused of sharing confidential information with disgraced financier and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein while acting as a U.K. trade envoy from 2001 to 2011. (Epstein died by suicide at age 66 in August 2019 after being arrested on federal sex trafficking charges.)
“You have to note [Andrew] hasn’t been charged with any sort of sexual offense. And the police will have looked really hard for evidence,” Ian pointed out. “Look, he’s a single man and what he did or didn’t do with various women was sleazy, humiliating for him and embarrassing for the royals.”
Ian is a staunch defender of his sister, insisting that Ghislaine, 64, was “a scapegoat for the dreadful crimes perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein.” (Ghislaine was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 after being convicted of federal sex crimes charges. She maintains her innocence.)
“My sister is the fall guy,” Ian insisted. “Somebody had to pay the price for what Epstein did and so the government and the media chose her. I genuinely believe that if Epstein were alive he would be incarcerated and she would be free.”
He went on, “Her trial wasn’t fair and her conviction isn’t safe. Ghislaine has done nothing wrong and the length of her conviction is outrageous.”
Ghislaine Maxwell; Ian Maxwell; Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor Getty Images (3); GERRY PENNY/AFP; Evan Agostini; Yui Mok – WPA Pool
Ian described himself as Ghislaine’s “de facto spokesman” but said the rest of the powerful Maxwell family is also supportive. (Ian and Ghislaine are two of late media mogul Robert Maxwell and his wife Elisabeth’s seven living children, along with Philip, Ann, twins Christine and Isabel, and Kevin. Two other Maxwell children, Karine and Michael, died.)
“We’re all supporting her in various ways; loyalty is very very strong in our family,” Ian stressed.
In this new interview, Ian argued that Ghislaine had been unfairly abandoned by feminist groups who he claimed owed her their support.
“There’s an argument here that feminists should really support Ghislaine because she is a woman who has been treated abysmally by the system,” Ian declared. “But I believe my sister is on the right side of history. She’s now in the U.S. equivalent of an open prison and I know she helps other prisoners with their legal cases. I genuinely believe that if she is released in response to her petition – and there’s still a chance that President [Donald] Trump might respond to her plea for clemency – she would do something worthwhile.”
Mountbatten-Windsor told the BBC’s Newsnight in 2019 that he originally met Epstein through his friendship with the financier’s then-girlfriend, Ghislaine. Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any knowledge or involvement in Epstein’s crimes.
The former Prince Andrew in 2023. Yui Mok – WPA Pool/Getty Images
The late Virginia Giuffre accused Epstein and Ghislaine of trafficking her to Mountbatten-Windsor three times, including an incident in 2001 when she was 17. Mountbatten-Windsor has denied any wrongdoing in relation to Giuffre and settled a sexual assault lawsuit with her in 2022. (Giuffre died by suicide at age 41 in April 2025.)
Following Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest this week, King Charles III released a statement calling for a “full, fair and proper process by which this issue is investigated.”
“As I have said before, [police] have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation,” the king said. “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.”
King Charles previously announced in October 2025 that he was stripping his brother of his royal titles. The king also forced Mountbatten-Windsor to move out of his Windsor home, Royal Lodge, to accommodations at the privately-funded Sandringham estate.
If you or someone you know is a human trafficking victim, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
