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Lady Colin Campbell has outraged viewers by claiming that soliciting sex from minors is ‘not the same as paedophilia.’

The 70-year-old socialite and TV personality outraged Good Morning Britain viewers and Piers Morgan by appearing to defend the hiring of a minor for sex, insisting that it was prostitution rather than paedophilia.

Appearing on the show to discuss the Prince Andrew interview, and his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Lady Colin Campbell attempted to state that Epstein wasn’t guilty of paedophilia but of soliciting prostitution from minors and that they were very different – to her.

Speaking directly about Epstein and his convictions, Lady Colin Campbell defended the Prince’s friendship with the convicted sex offender, who served nearly 13 months in custody after pleading guilty to procuring and soliciting a person under 18 for prostitution.




He was convicted of these two crimes in a widely criticised plea deal, while federal officials had reportedly identified 36 girls who had been abused by Epstein, some of which were as young as 14.

Before his suicide in August this year, Epstein was arrested in July on federal charges for sex trafficking of minors in New York and Florida.

During her appearance on Monday, Lady Colin Campbell declared: ‘You all seem to have forgotten that Jeffrey Epstein, the offence for which he was charged and for which he was imprisoned, was for soliciting prostitution from minors.

‘That is not the same thing as paedophilia.’

A stunned Piers Morgan then asked what it was then, to which she simply answered: ‘Prostitution.’

‘If you solicited a 14-year-old for prostitution, you’re a paedophile,’ Piers hit back.

‘It doesn’t matter,’ Lady Campbell responded, causing Piers to erupt.

Lady Colin Campbell claimed underage sex workers wasn’t paedophilia (Picture: ITV)

‘It does matter. You’re procuring an underage girl for sex! That’s what he was convicted of! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, with respect, that is nonsense.’

‘Was he? 14? Well, I’m not justifying Jeffrey Epstein,’ Lady C hit back. ‘Paedophilia, I suspect there’s a difference between a minor and a child.’

She then asserted that a minor isn’t a child (even though in the eyes of the law, it is.)

Piers hit back at the claims by the star (Picture: ITV)

Epstein was brought up in conversation following the catastrophic Prince Andrew interview where he discussed his friendship with the accused sex trafficker, who died by suspected suicide while being held ahead of trial.

Andrew, who had been photographed with Epstein in Central Park after the businessman had been convicted for the prostitution of minors in 2010, said he’d ‘let the side down’ by maintaining the friendship.

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The duke said his ongoing relationship with Epstein, following his release from an 18-month prison term: ‘I stayed with him … and that’s the bit that …



‘I kick myself for on a daily basis because it was not something that was becoming of a member of the royal family and we try and uphold the highest standards and practices and I let the side down, simple as that.’

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV.

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