Ghislaine Maxwell’s family are ‘astonished’ by Andrew’s arrest and say he is ‘entititled to presumption of innocence and a fair process which our sister never received’

Ghislaine Maxwell’s family said they were ‘surprised’ to see Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested.

The family of a convicted sex trafficker have called for ‘transparency’ and ‘evidence’ which they claim the disgraced British socialite ‘never received’.

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

Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime girlfriend, is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Texas after being convicted in 2021 of trafficking teenage girls for Epstein. He is the only associate of Epstein to be jailed.

Andrew was arrested on his 66th birthday on suspicion of misconduct in public office after plainclothes officers raided his home in Norfolk at 8am yesterday.

The embarrassed former royal spent 11 hours in police custody before being released under investigation; Along with his brother the King, he insisted that Andrew be subject to the full power of English justice, saying: ‘The law must have its own way.’

Maxwell’s family wrote on the X account, titled Real Ghislaine: ‘Surprised to see Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested today for alleged misconduct in public office in connection with material in the so-called Epstein ‘Files’.

‘He is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair process; Our sister Ghislaine was never granted this right.

Maxwell (pictured) was convicted after prosecutors presented evidence that she recruited 14-year-old girls for Epstein to abuse

The family of a convicted sex trafficker have called for ‘transparency’ and ‘evidence’ which they claim the disgraced British socialite ‘never received’. They added that the former prince ‘is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair process’. Image: Andrew pictured with Maxwell as he leaves Aurelia Cecil’s wedding in 2000

‘We need transparency, evidence and the same rules for everyone; ‘Not to judgment by the media and not to political expediency.’

In millions of pages of documents published by the US Department of Justice, it was revealed that Andrew shared reports of his official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore with Epstein.

A November 2010 email appeared to have been forwarded to Epstein by Andrew by his then-special counsel Amir Patel five minutes after it was sent, while another email the following month showed Andrew sending a confidential briefing about investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

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

In an unprecedented and historic personal statement, Charles expressed his ‘deep 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, Ms Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts praised the King for his response following Andrew’s arrest, adding: ‘We have not yet seen that from our own government.’

Ms Giuffre, who was photographed with Andrew’s arm around her waist as a teenager in 2001, claimed she was forced to have sexual intercourse with him on three separate occasions when she was 17.

Mr Roberts said that although Andrew’s arrest ‘was not directly linked to the allegations of sexual assault’ it was ‘a win’ for his sister and other survivors and was ‘a very good start to launching an investigation’.

Maxwell’s family posted on account X, titled Real Ghislaine, calling for ‘transparency’ and ‘evidence’, which they claim was ‘never acknowledged’ by the disgraced British socialite.

Virginia Giuffre, who was photographed with Andrew’s arm around her waist as a teenager in 2001, claimed that she was forced to have sexual intercourse with Andrew on three separate occasions when she was 17.

He said: ‘I appreciate the king. ‘I thank the King and the royal family for standing behind the survivors, but also thank you just for standing behind their people and saying: 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 recruited 14-year-old girls to be abused 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 when she was 16 years old. When Maxwell hired her as a ‘traveling masseuse’ for Epstein.

Giuffre claimed she was trafficked around the world by Epstein and Maxwell, sexually abused at their properties and introduced to high-profile figures, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was stripped of his princely title.

His 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 against Ms Giuffre, despite insisting he had never met her to avoid a humiliating public jury trial that would bring the Royal Family into disrepute.

Such a revelation would be especially strange during her mother’s Platinum Jubilee year. It was understood that approximately £7 million of the payment came as a ‘loan’ from the late Queen, and £3 million came from the inheritance of her father, Prince Philip.

Other members of the Royal Family also reportedly contributed a further £1.5 million.

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

Ms. Giuffre’s memoir, Nobody’s Daughter, was published posthumously last October; It describes her being trafficked by convicted sex offender Epstein and three alleged sexual encounters with the then-prince.

Following his release, he was stripped of his titles.

Andrew’s arrest took place in sensational fashion at the monarch’s private estate in Norfolk; where the former Duke of York was recently exiled following his public shaming.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leaves Aylsham Police Station after being released from custody on Thursday

A group of plainclothes police officers arrived at Wood Farm on Thursday morning and a search began.

The charge is a rare but serious crime that requires a jury trial and carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

He has not yet been charged.

After days of planning behind closed doors, Thames Valley Police officers combed the roads of Sandringham at 8am in six unmarked police vehicles.

In the tightly coordinated operation, one car drove down the main driveway towards Wood Farm, Prince Philip’s former home and used by Andrew as a temporary shelter, while others turned around and blocked the rear entrance to the five-bedroom property.

While Andrew was being detained at modest Aylsham Police Station, about an hour away, a simultaneous raid was being carried out on Royal Lodge, his former home on the grounds of Windsor Great Park, 130 miles to the west.

Andrew’s recent departure from the estate happened so quickly that most of his belongings remained on the property.

Neither the King nor Buckingham Palace was notified in advance, signaling 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 briefly and impersonally referred to his brother only as ‘Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’.

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

‘What will now come is a full, fair and appropriate process to ensure that this matter is investigated appropriately and by the relevant authorities.

‘As I said before, we have our full and wholehearted support and cooperation on this issue.

‘Let me be clear: The law must take its own course. It would not be appropriate for me to comment further on this matter while this process continues.

‘In the meantime, my family and I will continue our duty and service to all of you.’

Significantly, ‘Charles R.’ It had his signature, indicating that this was a rare personal statement.

Just after 7pm, after a day of interrogation, Andrew emerged with red eyes and a tense jaw; The image of his release summed up his fall from grace as he tried to cower in the backseat of a car driven by privately funded security guards.

The former Duke is accused of passing potentially sensitive documents to his friend, convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, while he was working as a British trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.