The truth about my sister, Ghislaine Maxwell

The mainstream media’s pronunciation of my sister’s name has been about as accurate as their coverage of her. No, it’s not ‘Jizlaine’, it’s ‘Giilen’. Firmly a French name, it was my mother, Betty’s riposte to my father’s choice of the name Kevin for my younger brother.

My mother is all too often written out of the Maxwell story but in fact she was the major influence on all our lives. That’s partly because of her loving nature but also because my father was so seldom present in our childhood. He was an incessant traveller and his many interests kept him away.

Betty was determined to maintain our French identities. We all have dual British and French nationality and that’s why, if Ghislaine had had any thought she might be arrested, she could have left after Epstein died and gone to France from where there is no extradition to America.

Whilst my mother gave us all the security and love that has welded us together as a family, my father provided the discipline.