A longtime friend and confidante of Ghislaine Maxwell says the longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein is not likely to spill any beans on Prince Andrew.
Philadelphia-based journalist Laura Goldman was in touch with Maxwell just three weeks ago, before she was arrested in New Hampshire.
Maxwell faces six criminal charges, including four related to transporting minors for illegal sexual acts, and two for perjury in depositions about her role in Epstein's abuses.
In Friday's filing, Maxwell said she "vigorously denies the charges" and intends to fight them.
"She's not going to spill the beans on Prince Andrew," says Goldman.
She says Maxwell considers the prince a very good friend who helped launch her in New York society.
And she told the prince not to do an interview about his involvement with Jeffery Epstein, Goldman says.
"She's a firm believer you don't feed the beast.
"I think they all thought the story was going to die."
Goldman thinks there are people named in the court documents Maxwell wants to protect.
"I have a feeling that there [are] a lot of people that have a lot of sleepless nights right now."
From the beginning of her friendship with Maxwell, Goldman says she recognised something wasn't right.
"In no way did I understand that there was paedophilia involved or any other kinds of things."
There was always an underlying sadness about Maxwell, she says.
"I never saw her with young women...I never saw anything like that. I saw her as someone who didn't work during the day and went out at night, had a lot of fun, was funny, was interesting, knew everybody in the room."
Goldman says in the 90s, Maxwell was madly in love with Epstein.
"She was obsessed with him, wanted to marry him...she thought they could be king and queen of New York society."
It was clear that wasn't going to happen, she says.
"Jeffery was with her and you'd see him ogling other girls, things like that, so you knew that he was a player."
Goldman says Maxwell had tried to get away from Epstein but didn't have much money.
"More importantly, you can't leave Jeffery Epstein, you don't actually know what he's going to do to you.
"And in Ghislaine's case, she really felt that he would threaten her and that he had things on her and that she was too deep in, if she left him in a terrible way he would destroy her life," she says.
"It doesn't excuse what she does, it just explains that maybe she didn't have as much free will as people think she did."
Three and a half weeks ago Goldman was in touch with Maxwell, and knew where she was.
"It was pretty clear her time was up."
RNZ
