Like many people, I’ve been grimly transfixed by the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, and in particular how someone with so many opportunities in life could end up, at the age of 60, languishing in a filthy New York jail awaiting sentence having been convicted on five counts of procuring underage girls for sex.
These clues are there, however. As the author John Preston explains in Fall, his insightful biography of Ghislaine’s father Robert Maxwell (well worth a read), she grew up in thrall to power and privilege.
Although her father was unpredictable and demanding, she managed to calm his fury with her insatiable willingness to please.
She was rewarded by his paternal affection. Lady Ghislaine was named after her, which is proof of his undying love for her.
Like many people, I’ve been grimly transfixed by the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, and in particular how someone with so many opportunities in life could end up, at the age of 60, languishing in a filthy New York jail awaiting sentence having been convicted on five counts of procuring underage girls for sex
However, he could also be a controlling presence. He often had his wife dancing on the end of a leash. Echoes of Ghislaine’s late lover and ‘co-conspirator’, Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell Snr was a man who escaped life in a two-room wooden shack in the shadow of a godforsaken salt mine in Czechoslovakia to become – at one point – one of the wealthiest and most powerful individuals on the planet.
Yet, Epstein also died in such terrible circumstances that he left behind only the scars of his pain.
Fascinating as such parallels may be, it’s not the obvious Freudian aspects of Ghislaine’s life that I find most interesting. It’s what her trial tells us about the world in which we once lived – and the one in which we live today.
Quite simply, it wasn’t just Ghislaine who was on trial in that New York courtroom, but an entire culture. In a culture that valued wealth and privilege, power allowed people to freely do what they want, with no fear of being punished.
It underlines how much society has changed since the glory days of rogue press barons like Maxwell – and how power now lies in very different hands.
Quite simply, it wasn’t just Ghislaine who was on trial in that New York courtroom, but an entire culture. In a culture of wealth and privilege, people were free to act as they pleased, regardless of the consequences.
In a culture that was rich or had a title, owned a yacht, an island, and other privileges meant you could ignore the laws, be free from morality, and pursue your perversions with no fear of being punished.
A culture where the idea of a rich middle-aged man flying in plane-loads of teenage girls for the delight of his guests just didn’t really seem that unusual, and where any uncomfortable questions were simply silenced by money or influence.
Une culture qui, at the end of it all, was corrupt to its core.
And it wasn’t confined to the Maxwells and Epsteins of this world, either. This type of behaviour was the norm in 1980s-90s. See the treatment Bill Clinton gave Monica Lewinsky.
It is amazing how difficult it was for Jimmy Savile to be understood by people. All those pop stars, and all their barely pubescent female friends, are revered as demi-gods today, even if they had been involved in countless underage affairs. There are many more.
The world was one where wealth and power made everyone omnipotent. This is why the Maxwell trial has its heart. It was an amazing turn of events to see ordinary women of working class take down their abusive husband. This is an almost anarchic change of culture, and a real shock.
And while this verdict may represent a victory for Epstein’s victims, for many of those who still belong to that rarefied world it goes against the natural order of things. Which perhaps goes some way to explaining Prince Andrew’s mulish response to the accusations made by Virginia Giuffre.
He is still stuck in this mindset. Confident of his Royal status’ invulnerability, but also dazzled and naive by his sense of entitlement. He thinks he’s more valuable than she is. He still believes she is just a little inconvenience which sooner or later Mummy’s money will make go away. There is one thing that tells me this: Not at the moment.
Madame Macron’s real murky past…
I find the notion that Brigitte Macron, left, wife of the French President, might be transgender – something she vehemently refutes – not even slightly troubling, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. I find it disturbing, particularly in light of the Ghislaine Maxiwell trial. The idea that she allegedly sex with her husband at the tender age of 15 while he was only 15.
Lexi Holden is 15 years old, the daughter of Amanda. She has been approached several modeling agencies. No doubt she has the required attributes: she’s gorgeous, as her mother’s Instagram snaps of the pair frolicking in bikinis in Antigua at Christmas show. But surely there’s more to life than becoming just another ‘daughter of’?
A study has found teenagers are reluctant to clean their trainers because they see the crud as a memento of their ‘life experiences’. Are they also excuses for all the junk on the couch, in the refrigerator, in the wash basket, and in the window sill? It’s a good idea to ask a friend.
I didn’t do much on New Year’s Eve, just mooched around. When I opened the back door and let out the old year, and could hear the cheers and whoops of my neighbours welcoming in the new one, it was the first time I felt the excitement and the air crackle. It’s left me feeling tentatively optimistic for 2022. All the best for the New Year
What about January dry? Not a chance
Sorry folks, it’s New Year but not a new me. I won’t be quitting alcohol or becoming vegan. It is too difficult to stay on the wagon in January.
It’s long, dark and full of bills and I can’t possibly attempt it without wine and chocolate. Please send me any excess supplies and I will do my best in disposing of them.
Taylor’s simply fab
Billy Joel has drawn criticism for describing Taylor Swift as ‘this generation’s Beatles’. If you ask me, he’s not far off the mark. Although she may look like a pop princess at first glance, her catchy songs and upbeat beats conceal the true meaning behind her lyrics. She’s my guilty secret.
I must confess, my inner schoolboy always suppresses a giggle when people talk in solemn tones about the Order of the Garter. But now that the Duchess of Cornwall has been appointed to it, speculation returns to whether, when Charles becomes King, she will be styled Princess Consort – as per current arrangements – or Queen, as per tradition.
Personally, I don’t think it matters. The years she spent with Prince Charles, and how she handled herself with dignity and grace despite many insults about her character speak volumes. Even if she never gets the title, she’s already a queen in my book.
IKEA is putting up prices, by 50 per cent in some instances, citing ‘supply chain issues’. The Malm desk, a teenage bedroom staple, is increasing from £99 to £150. The Hemnes Daybed will now cost £279 instead of £215. You can add to this the driving costs, the Daim bar and meatballs, and the 792 items that you end up with in your cart (not to mention the price of marriage therapy when you screw in the wrong spot, leaving everything in pieces), and it’s easy to see why you should just shop at Harrods.
The parents of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes are facing a sentence review after their ‘unduly lenient’ punishments were referred to appeal judges. Certainly 21 and 29 years respectively doesn’t seem a lot for starving, beating and torturing a six-year-old to death. It’s especially shocking when you consider that Ghislaine Maxill faces 60 years in prison for what amounts to being an upper-class madame. Don’t get me wrong, what she did is still disgusting. But she hasn’t killed anyone.