Was Princess Diana really ‘set up as a date’ for Jeffrey Epstein? Here's what Ghislaine Maxwell revealed

In a revelation that has sparked widespread speculation, Ghislaine Maxwell has suggested that Princess Diana may once have been “set up as a date” for Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence in the United States for recruiting girls for Epstein to abuse, made the claim in a newly released transcript from the Department of Justice. She said Epstein had crossed paths with the Princess of Wales at a social event organised by one of Diana’s close friends.

At the same time, Maxwell admitted she could not confirm whether Epstein and Diana ever met, but hinted there may have been attempts to connect them.

What Maxwell said about Diana

Speaking to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last month, Maxwell claimed that before she came into Epstein’s circle, he was already mixing with what she called “truly fancy people” in London. Among them, she mentioned Rosa Monckton, a close friend of Diana, and Monckton’s husband, journalist Dominic Lawson.

She said Epstein attended “a big event” in London organised by Monckton. “I don’t know if he sat with Diana or met her there. I don’t know, but I believe it was organised by Rosa. I don’t know if she was being set up as a date for him, maybe because she was,” Maxwell suggested.

According to The Sun, Maxwell hesitated before making the comment, saying she did not want to “speak bad of Diana.” She also denied introducing Epstein to members of the royal family, calling such claims “a flat untruth.”

Her version of events, however, has raised questions. She hinted the gathering took place in the early 2000s, but Diana died in Paris in 1997, leaving the timeline of Maxwell’s story uncertain.

Trump and Epstein ‘competed’ for Diana’s attention, claims biographer

The speculation about Epstein and Diana has also been fuelled by journalist Michael Wolff. Speaking on the Inside Trump’s Head podcast from the Daily Beast, Wolff said Epstein once competed with Donald Trump to see who could win Diana’s attention.

“They had a competition, Trump and Epstein,” Wolff said. “Of who would be the one, the first one to sleep with Princess Diana… They just understood: What could you get from these people? Both Trump and Epstein. ‘What can you get from somebody?’ is the question you would always ask about anybody.”

Wolff made clear there was no evidence Diana was romantically involved with either Trump or Epstein.

Trump, Epstein and Maxwell’s defence

These claims come at a time when Trump’s past links to Epstein are again being examined, with critics questioning why the Justice Department has not released parts of the Epstein investigation files.

Maxwell also defended Trump in her interview with the Justice Department, saying: “I never witnessed the President in any inappropriate setting in any way. The President was never inappropriate with anybody.”

Trump has often dismissed Wolff, calling him a “disgraced” writer. His wife, Melania Trump, also rejected Wolff’s suggestion that she met Trump through Epstein, even taking legal action against the claim.