Socialite Lady Victoria Hervey says Jeffrey Epstein and Bill Clinton 'were like brothers'

Socialite and Prince Andrew's ex-girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey last night claimed that Jeffery Epstein and former US President Bill Clinton 'were like brothers' and 'loved' being around the Duke of York, as an ITV documentary heard the royal 'put himself in a dangerous situation' with his partying lifestyle.

The 44-year-old socialite and former 'It Girl', who is the daughter of the 6th Marquess of Bristol and the Duke of York's former love interest, first met Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell 20 years ago. 

Speaking in ITV's documentary 'Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile' which aired on Tuesday night, Lady Victoria spoke about the relationship between Epstein and Clinton, who was photographed on a number of occasions with the paedophile billionaire, and is reported to have flown on his private jet at least nine times.

'Clinton was definitely very close to Jeffrey,' Lady Victoria said. 'I don't know if you saw the paintings that were in Jeffrey Epstein's house? One of them being a portrait of Bill Clinton wearing the dress that Monica Lewinsky wore when they had the affair.

'So yeah, he was super close to Jeffrey Epstein. They were like brothers, you know, and he was close to Ghislaine as well,' the socialite said. In 2010, Ghislaine Maxwell was a guest at the wedding of Chelsea Clinton, Bill Clinton's daughter. The former president denies being close with Epstein.

Another high-profile figure caught up in the scandal surrounding Maxwell and Epstein is the Duke of York, who like Clinton is reported to have spent time at Jeffery Epstein's private residences, at parties hosted by the billionaire, and is said to have been close with Maxwell.

Andrew is accused of having sex with Virginia Giuffre when she was a teenager, who claims she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell. Prince Andrew strenuously denies the accusations made by Ms Giuffre.

When asked by ITV presenter Ranvir Singh what she thought Epstein and Maxwell wanted from their friendship with Andrew, Lady Victoria said: 'Prince Andrew was the son of the queen of England. Americans love that. Jeffery loved that. Bill Clinton loved that.'

Lady Victoria said the pair used her as 'bait' to entertain Jeffrey Epstein's friends, saying the paedophile 'sat back and waited for her to go fishing and find however many girls were needed to entertain his friends,' and described Maxwell and Epstein as like 'Batman and Robin' and a 'double act'.

Lady Victoria, who would socialise with Maxwell, Epstein and the duke in the early 2000s, told the documentary: 'Jeffrey was really the frontman and Ghislaine was the accomplice. You know, it was kind of like a Batman and Robin and they were a double act. I don't think Jeffrey could have done any of it without Ghislaine.'

Ms Singh asked: 'And Ghislaine was crucial to getting those girls, was she, do you think to those dinners?' Lady Victoria replied: 'I think he just kind of sat back and sort of waited for her to sort of go fishing and go find however many girls were needed, you know, to entertain his friends. I think I was pretty much used as bait.

'You know, looking back at, you know I was really young and naive, and she's entertaining these, you know, big businessmen. So I didn't realise it of course at the time, but looking back...'

Prince Andrew's ex-girlfriend Lady Victoria Hervey appears in 'Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile' on ITV tonight

The documentary comes after a series of dramatic developments in recent days including the Duke of York Prince Andrew being told his trial legal battle with sex accuser Virginia Giuffre - who claims she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell - will go to trial and the Queen removing his honorary military roles.

Maxwell, 60, was convicted of facilitating the sexual abuse of minors by her former partner, Epstein, last month on December 29. She faces 65 years in prison, meaning she could spend the rest of her life behind bars.

She was found guilty on five of six counts of sex trafficking - a spectacular downfall for the former London society girl who later moved into the highest circles of New York's social scene.

A number people - from victims of Epstein and Maxwell and other people who socialised with them at Epstein's grand parties at his Manhattan mansion - also featured on the documentary, giving insight into the relationship the American financier and British socialite shared.

Lisa Bloom, a lawyer for victims of Maxwell and Epstein, went into detail about how Epstein and Maxwell recruited young women to attend parties or to spend time at one of his many luxurious homes.

'Ghislaine was essentially the pimp of the madame who brought girls and young women to Jeffery Epstein who could then sexually assault them,' Ms Bloom told ITV.

Lisa Bloom (pictured), a lawyer for victims of Maxwell and Epstein, went into detail about how Epstein and Maxwell recruited young women to attend parties or to spend time at one of his many luxurious homes.

Lisa Phillips, one of Epstein's victims, described her time on Epstein's island of Little St James as a 21-year-old to ITV, where she was persuaded to visit by Maxwell

Maxwell, who is said to have been Epstein's madam as well as his one-time girlfriend, is seen posing with the paedophile in evidence photos shown in court

'And in addition, she herself was involved in the sexual assaults directly. Most young women, may think twice about going off with an older man who you don't know. But if it's a woman, you're going to be more trusting, and Ghislaine took advantage of that.' 

Epstein and Maxwell kept an address book known as 'The Little Black Book,' which contained the names and numbers of people who would attend their parties. 'If you were on the social scene in the 90s, and you were not in that address book, then you didn't exist,' Lady Victoria said.

One of the most notable names in the book is that of Prince Andrew. Ms Singh was shown in the documentary going through the names in the 97-page address book to find the Duke of York's.

Along with a number of addresses including Buckingham Palace, the book has phone numbers listed against royal residences including Sunninghill, Wood Farm and Balmoral, and a mobile phone number for Prince Andrew.

The ITV presenter was shown calling that phone number, with her attempt going straight to voicemail. 

'I'm afraid I've not been quick enough to get to the phone before it went off to take your message,' a voice - presumed to be Prince Andrew's - is heard saying in a pre-recorded message. 'If you do have a message, please leave it, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.' 

Along with a number of addresses including Buckingham Palace, Maxwell's 'Little Black Book' has phone numbers listed against royal residences including Sunninghill, Wood Farm and Balmoral, and a mobile phone number for Prince Andrew. The ITV presenter was shown calling that phone number, with her attempt going straight to voicemail

Prince Andrew is seen with his arm around Virginia Roberts while Ghislaine Maxwell stands in the background, in a now infamous photo from early 2001 

Euan Rellie, who is a New York-based, British investment banker, attended the University of Oxford with Maxwell, 60, and was a guest at dinner parties that she and Epstein hosted in Manhattan, and spoke to ITV about Andrew.

'She described Andrew as being her friend, not Jeffrey's,' Mr Rellie told ITV. 'I got the sense that Prince Andrew and Ghislaine had probably been girlfriend and boyfriend in the past. They had an easy warmth around each other.' 

Prince Andrew is facing a civil sexual assault lawsuit from a woman - Virginia Giuffre - who alleges she was trafficked to have sex with him by Epstein and Maxwell. The duke, who denies the allegations, was last week stripped of his honorary military roles and royal patronages after losing a legal bid to have the case thrown out.

Andrew is said to have visited Epstein at a number of the billionaire's residences - including Epstein's island of Little St James - and his name is recorded on the flight logs of Epstein's private jet that become known as the Lolita Express. Virginia Giuffre alleges the Duke sexually abused her on the island - which he denies.

Maxwell's brother Ian Maxwell said that Prince Andrew and his sister 'were good friends. I don't know how often she got to see him at Buckingham Palace. I met him a few times in London. She didn't take any s**t from anyone,' he said. 'I think that Prince Andrew would have found that rather refreshing.' 

Speaking about his sister's guilty verdict, Ian Maxwell said: 'I'm just damn angry. And I don't understand how anyone looking at this can not feel that way. It's just wrong. I have devoted a lot of my time to helping Ghislaine. We believe her, we love her. And we hope that she will get the justice that she definitely deserved.' 

Lisa Phillips, one of Epstein's victims, described her time on the island as a 21-year-old to ITV.

Andrew is said to have visited Epstein at a number of the billionaire's residences - including Epstein's island of Little St James - and his name is recorded on the flight logs of Epstein's private jet that become known as the Lolita Express

Pictured: Epstein's luxury home on his island - Little St James - where Virginia Giuffre alleges the Duke of York sexually abused her. Prince Andrew denies all the allegations made against him

Maxwell's brother Ian Maxwell said that Prince Andrew and his sister 'were good friends. I don't know how often she got to see him at Buckingham Palace. I met him a few times in London. She didn't take any s**t from anyone,' he said. 'I think that Prince Andrew would have found that rather refreshing.'

'We went to the quarters where we were to sleep. A woman (Maxwell) came to the door and said Jeffery was ready for his massage. She made it seem like it was something normal, that it was no big deal. Once we were in the room, doing the massage, is where things took a turn. And it wasn't normal anymore,' Ms Phillips said.

'I went along with it. That's just what happens in those situation. You're not going to kick and scream and fight and yell when you're on an island.'

Disgraced socialite Maxwell is set to be sentenced on sex trafficking crimes on June 28. The delayed sentencing was based on the defense attorneys' decision due to recent  'compelling' evidence they say could overturn the trial, as well as Maxwell's conviction. 

For now, Maxwell's guilty verdict is a cause for celebration for her and Epstein's victims.

'I don't feel at all that she deserves freedom,' Teresa Helm, another of the pair's victims, told ITV. 'I believe that she deserves to be in a jail cell for a very long time.'

Earlier today, Lady Victoria appeared on ITV's Lorraine and insisted the 'very private' Maxwell was a 'victim' of Epstein. The socialite has previously said she had no clue what they had been secretly up to.

Lady Victoria told the morning breakfast presenter: 'She is a scapegoat right now, so unfortunately for her, she is being taken down for what he has done as well. Some might argue is not quite as fair as it could be.'

The socialite, who spoke to Lorraine from Los Angeles this morning, said: 'I mean to be honest I think Ghislaine was a victim and is a victim. She was a victim that then became the accomplice as her role changed in that relationship when they were no longer together. She kind of switched sides. I do see her as a victim as well.' 

Lady Victoria Hervey and Ghislaine Maxwell in Hollywood on February 25, 2004 

Lady Victoria Hervey (looking towards the camera) stands near Prince Andrew (left) at a party in London in January 2002

Lorraine went on to question the socialite over her own connections with the pair, saying: 'Why do you think, if you were just an ordinary girl with no connections, do you think she specifically wanted you in that place?'

Lady Victoria said: 'At the time I was the IT girl of London, on the social scene, everyone knew me, I was at every dinner event. 'It was a plus having me on her list of who to invite. 

'It probably kept it more interesting for all the men she was entertaining.  Obviously you want to have attractive girls who are the hot girls in London at the time.'

She added that Epstein and Maxwell were 'definitely a double act', saying: 'It wouldn't have worked with him on his own.  It was a lot easier for her to approach other women being a female. 

Lady Victoria also told Lorraine today that she feels Maxwell is 'a scapegoat' and is 'being taken down' for Epstein's crimes

Prince Andrew's ex girlfriend Lady Victoria insisted on Lorraine today that 'very private' Maxwell was a 'victim' of Epstein

'Girls would feel less intimated and less scared, rather than a man. It would have been a lot less obvious in that respect.'

Lady Victoria confessed she felt 'used' by the duo, but added she 'had fun at the time.'

She said: 'I was so naive. People in my situation that were really young, of course we were going to get taken advantage of. We were just a pretty face to have entertain people. I was one of the lucky ones and I'm aware of that.'

Lady Victoria Hervey on the red carpet at Cannes last July

She said she had no idea that anything was amiss during parties with the group, saying: 'Besides the situation of having a feeling there were video cameras in the apartment, it was social gatherings and dinner parties. It all seemed very fun at the time.'

'This is in the early 2000s when no one had any idea of what people found out later on but the early 2000s, people wanted Ghislaine and Jeffrey at all their events. They were invited there everywhere. 

Meanwhile Lady Victoria said she 'had followed some of the trial' but was 'a bit disappointed'. She explained the public 'hadn't learned anything new' and because the trial wasn't televised she felt 'a detachment from it.'

She said: 'She hasn't really named any new names yet. I'm hoping... that she will start giving out names. I don't think we're quite there yet.'

Meanwhile on her dinner with Ghislaine, Epstein, Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, she pondered: 'Is it to make them feel important? I suppose so and I think it was business being conducted at the same time through these introductions of powerful different people together.

'So I don't know exactly what business deals did happen at those dinners, but for sure, you know, things obviously did.

Lady Victoria continued: 'She is unfortunately a scapegoat right now, because there's no one else to blame.

'So unfortunately for her she is being taken down for what he's done as well, which some might argue is not quite as fair as it could be but that is the situation she is in right now.'

However, Lorraine argued that the victims consider Maxwell just as guilty as Epstein.

On the well-known picture of Andrew and his accuser Virginia Giuffre, Lady Victoria offered: 'That was stupid.'

And asked if Maxwell ever spoke to her about her friendship with Andrew, Lady Victoria admitted: 'No. I mean, she was really quite private about a lot, but obviously they were good friends. You can just tell by the body language when you see people, when they're good friends.

Lady Victoria confessed she felt 'used' by Ghislaine and Epstein, but added she 'had fun at the time'  (pictured in 2002 with Prince Andrew) 

Ghislaine Maxwell could spend the rest of her life behind bars after a jury convicted her of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by the late American financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein last month 

Maxwell was found guilty on five of six counts of sex trafficking - a spectacular downfall for the former London society girl who later moved into the highest circles of New York's social scene. Pictured: Maxwell with Epstein

'I don't know what's going to happen now in terms of the sentencing, how many years they're going to give her.' 

Maxwell's lawyers last week demanded a new trial after a juror revealed he had helped convict the former socialite by telling fellow jury members about his experience of sexual abuse.

She was found guilty of sex trafficking of a minor, transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and three counts of conspiracy. She was found not guilty of enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts.   

Maxwell was convicted after a month-long trial in which prosecutors maintained that she recruited and groomed teenage girls for Epstein to sexually abuse from 1994 to 2004. 

Maxwell once had a romantic relationship with Epstein, but later became his employee at his five residences, including a Manhattan mansion and a large estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

Epstein took his own life at a Manhattan federal jail in August 2019 as he awaited a trial on sex trafficking charges.

Maxwell's lawyers argued at trial that she was made into a scapegoat by federal prosecutors after his death. 

Meanwhile, Andrew is under severe pressure to settle with Ms Giuffre after a New York judge refused to throw out her case - paving the way for a box office trial in nine months to examine claims she was repeatedly forced to have sex with him when she was a teenager. 

The decision is a devastating blow to the Duke of York, who now faces a hugely expensive and reputation-shredding court case unless he tries to pay off Ms Giuffre with at least $5 million. 

If he chooses not to settle, or if Ms Giuffre rejects any offers, Andrew faces being interviewed by her lawyers in a videotaped deposition in London that could be played in court, although the ninth in line to the throne cannot be forced to give evidence due to it being a civil suit in a different legal jurisdiction. 

Additionally, he could simply ignore the case and let the court give a decision in his absence, although this would be likely to damage his reputation further. 

Ghislaine, Prince Andrew and the Paedophile aired on Tuesday night on ITV