Ghislaine Maxwell will never implicate the Duke of York if she is ever interviewed by the FBI over the Epstein scandal, the Telegraph has been told.

Ms Maxwell will instead corroborate the Duke of York’s adamant denial of ever having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old ‘sex slave’ trafficked by his friend Jeffrey Epstein.

Ms Maxwell, the daughter of the disgraced media tycoon Robert Maxwell, is understood to be under investigation as part of an FBI inquiry into Epstein’s co-conspirators.

Ms Maxwell is in hiding over her alleged role in procuring young women and underage girls for Epstein, her one-time boyfriend. It is alleged that among the girls recruited by Ms maxwell is Virginia Giuffre Roberts who in turn claims she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew.