Ghislaine Maxwell discusses her 'special friendship' with Bill Clinton and her 'dear friend' Prince Andrew in her first post-conviction interview

In her first interview since her conviction, Ghislaine Maxwell discussed her close relationships with Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew. The interview was conducted earlier this year as part of an upcoming CBS-Paramount Plus special. Excerpts from the discussion were published by the Sun on Saturday.

Maxwell, 60, is currently incarcerated in a Florida prison after being transferred from New York's Metropolitan Detention Center. She is serving a 20-year sentence for trafficking and grooming underage girls to be abused by Jeffrey Epstein.

Former President Bill Clinton took at least 26 trips on Epstein's private jet, dubbed the "Lolita Express," according to flight log records obtained by Fox News.

"It was a special friendship, which continued over the years," Maxwell said. "We had lots in common. I feel bad that he is another victim, only because of his association with Jeffrey. I understand he, like others, can no longer consider me as a friend."

According to the Sun article, Maxwell not only spoke about her "close" friendship with Clinton but also with former President Donald Trump. However, the article later mentions that Maxwell was "honored" that Trump even "remembered" her.

"We knew each other and mingled in the same circles, in New York, Palm Beach. I was very grateful when he wished me well after (the arrest). He got bad media for it, but he dared, while others didn't," Maxwell said about Trump. "I was honored he remembered me. Well, he is known to say what he thinks. It gave me a big boost."

According to excerpts of the interview, Maxwell seemed "shaken" when she was told Prince Andrew's lawyer claimed the two were never close friends.

"I accept that this friendship could not survive my conviction," said Maxwell. "He is paying such a price for the association. I consider him a dear friend. I care about him."

The disgraced socialite noted, "I feel so bad for him. I follow what is happening to him."

Maxwell now claims that the infamous photograph from March 2001 that shows her, Prince Andrew, and trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre is a fake.

"This photo is not real," Maxwell insisted. "There was never an original one produced."

When asked why she previously told Alan Dershowitz, Epstein's lawyer, that the photo looked real, Maxwell stated, "If you see a photograph and it's a photograph of you in your home, and someone says to you, is that a picture of you? So you don't question."

"It would never occur to me that at that time that somebody would have created a photograph or, you know, done something with a picture . . . I recognized the surroundings of that photograph, nothing more than that," she continued.

In a court statement, Maxwell stated that meeting Jeffrey Epstein was the "greatest mistake" of her life. She repeated that sentiment in the interview and said, "And obviously, if I could go back today, I would avoid meeting him, and I would make different choices."