Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking teenage girls. However, in a first-ever interview since being incarcerated, Maxwell has called disgraced Prince Andrew her 'dear friend'.

Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking teenage girls. However, in a first-ever interview since being incarcerated, Maxwell has called disgraced Prince Andrew her 'dear friend'. “I feel so bad for him. Yes, I follow what is happening to him. He is paying such a price for the association (with Jeffrey Epstein). I consider him a dear friend...I care about him,” said Maxwell in a rare interview with Daily Mail. When reminded that Prince Andrew and his lawyers rejected the claims that he was friends with her, Maxwell says, "I accept that this friendship could not survive my conviction." Read more: Timeline: Ghislaine Maxwell sex-trafficking scandal While Maxwell remains in prison, Prince Andrew has been able to avoid facing the judicial music, primarily due to the family he belongs to. However, in recent times, even that family has started distancing itself from the Duke of York. As reported by WION, in the aftermath of Queen Elizabeth II's demise, the royal family website had demoted Prince Andrew to the bottom of the royals' list. As for Maxwell, she continues to maintain that meeting Epstein was the biggest mistake of her life. “I said in my court statement that meeting Epstein was the greatest mistake of my life. And obviously, if I could go back today, I would avoid meeting him, and I would make different choices.” Epstein was accused of sexually exploiting dozens of underage girls, some as young as 14, at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida between 2002 and 2005. Read more: Ghislaine Maxwell becomes 'bffs' with notorious double-murderer in jail After Epstein's alleged suicide, Maxwell was arrested in the United States and charged with sex trafficking minors for him on July 2, 2020. After a very public trial where Maxwell became the face of Epstein's sex-fuelled empire, she was handed a 20-year prison sentence by a court in New York in June, earlier this year. WATCH | Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years of prison × Although her lawyers asked the court for leniency due to trauma, judge Alison Nathan decided to hand out the sentence that was suggested by the US Probation Office. Earlier, the prosecutors in the case asked the court for a sentence between 30 and 55 years (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

'He's a dear friend', says Ghislaine Maxwell about Prince Andrew in a rare prison interview

Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, is up for a tough life ahead as she was convicted on charges of luring underage girls to engage in sexual acts with Jeffrey Epstein. The judgement came after jurors discussed the case for a full five days before finding the socialite guilty on five out of six counts. She now faces 65 years in prison.&nbsp;

She has been convicted for enticing Epstein’s victims. Four women alleged that Ghislaine Maxwell recruited them into having sex with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/whos-who-in-the-jeffrey-epstein-sex-scandal-242638">Who's Who in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal</a>

One woman, Annie Farmer, testified that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ghislaine-maxwell-recruited-groomed-and-trained-underage-girls-as-sex-slaves-317289">Maxwell </a>had given her a massage when she was 16 during a visit to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch. She testified that Maxwell instructed her to roll over and then rubbed her upper breasts. Another woman accused Maxwell of also participating sometimes in these sexual acts.&nbsp;

Prosecutors also showed that Maxwell had received $30.7 million from Epstein from 1999 to 2007, and argued that the payments underscored her complicity in Epstein’s crimes.

The socialite was arrested in New Hampshire in July 2020, a&nbsp;year after Epstein committed suicide. Epstein had been arrested on charges of running a sex-trafficking operation that involved dozens of girls, some as young as 14. Jeffrey Epstein committed <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-charges-two-jail-guards-over-jeffrey-epstein-death-263227">suicide</a> by hanging in his jail cell in August 2019.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/jeffrey-epstein-how-the-man-with-famous-friends-fell-apart-242546">Also see:&nbsp;Jeffrey Epstein: How the man with famous friends fell apart</a>

Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, is up for a tough life ahead as she was convicted on charges of luring underage girls to engage in sexual acts with Jeffrey Epstein. The judgement came after jurors discussed the case for a full five days before finding the socialite guilty on five out of six counts.

Ghislaine Maxwell, 60, is up for a tough life ahead as she was convicted on charges of luring underage girls to engage in sexual acts with Jeffrey Epstein. The judgement came after jurors discussed the case for a full five days before finding the socialite guilty on five out of six counts. She now faces 65 years in prison. She has been convicted for enticing Epstein’s victims. Four women alleged that Ghislaine Maxwell recruited them into having sex with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s. Who's Who in the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal One woman, Annie Farmer, testified that Maxwell had given her a massage when she was 16 during a visit to Epstein’s New Mexico ranch. She testified that Maxwell instructed her to roll over and then rubbed her upper breasts. Another woman accused Maxwell of also participating sometimes in these sexual acts. Prosecutors also showed that Maxwell had received $30.7 million from Epstein from 1999 to 2007, and argued that the payments underscored her complicity in Epstein’s crimes. The socialite was arrested in New Hampshire in July 2020, a year after Epstein committed suicide. Epstein had been arrested on charges of running a sex-trafficking operation that involved dozens of girls, some as young as 14. Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide by hanging in his jail cell in August 2019. Also see: Jeffrey Epstein: How the man with famous friends fell apart

Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse case: British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell found guilty

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, an ex-girlfriend of convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has been charged in the US after being arrested by the FBI. Watch report.

British socialite arrested by FBI: Sex abuse charges on Ghislaine Maxwell