Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Nike x Caitlin Clark
    • Dr. Barbara Sturm
    • Tomi Adeyemi
    • Witchy Perfumes
    • Being Black at Bravo
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Ex-Prince Andrew Made a Bizarre Call to Former Victoria's Secret Boss That Left CEO "Laughing His Ass Off"

    Les Wexner revealed the strange interaction while speaking to the House Oversight Committee.

    Kristin Contino's avatar
    By Kristin Contino
    Published 11 March 2026 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Ex-Prince Andrew, the former Duke of York, makes a grimacing face while wearing a top hat on day five of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse on June 22, 2019
    (Image credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    As more revelations about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s friendship with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continue to emerge, it’s been revealed that the ex-duke once made a strange phone call to former Victoria’s Secret CEO, Les Wexner. The 88-year-old businessman was an associate of Epstein’s until 2007 and sold the convicted pedophile his “Lolita Express” private jet. Because of his past ties with Epstein, Wexner was recently subpoenaed to speak to Congress, during which he revealed the bizarre interaction with Andrew.

    Per the Sun, Wexner revealed that the former Duke of York once called him to talk about an unusual subject. “I had no conversations, interactions with Prince Andrew about women or anything. I had one brief, like two sentence funny conversation [with Andrew],” he shared.

    The co-founder of Bath & Body Works, Inc. continued that Andrew “called me here in Columbus” to discuss, of all things, airplanes. “I said, ‘Hello.’ and he said, ‘Uh, you know, I helped my mother buy her airplane and I know that you buy and sell airplanes, so if I could be of service, with you and airplane transactions, I could help,” Wexner said.

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor sitting in a plane and laughing

    Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is pictured at the Biggin Hill International Air Show in 1983.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Wexner revealed that he said “No, thank you. We’re covered and have a nice day,” but found the whole interaction to be hilarious. “I just kind of laughed my ass off that the Duke of York called me about that,” he added.

    While the former Duke of York served in the Royal Navy and flew helicopters during the Falklands War, Wexner said he had no idea why Andrew decided to call him offering his flying expertise.

    You may like
    • The exterior of Royal Lodge Royal Lodge Is Up For Rent After Royal Family Refuses to Move In
    • Sarah Ferguson wearing a green dress standing in front of a maroon wall Sarah Ferguson Is “Looking at Her Options” For a Tell-All Interview
    • Sarah Ferguson smiling outside in a green and pink dress Sarah Ferguson's Summer Hideaway Was Likely Funded by Her Late Ex-Boyfriend

    Per the Sun, a member of the House Oversight Committee asked, “So, he offered to advise you on purchasing an airplane?” adding he was “just trying to understand why” Andrew would’ve called Wexner about the topic. “Yeah, me too. It was out of the blue,” the businessman replied.

    Mountbatten-Windsor, who formerly worked as a trade envoy to the U.K., was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19 after emails allegedly revealed he’d shared confidential information with Epstein. However, it’s unclear whether his phone call to Wexner took place during the time period when he was serving in his envoy role.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    Prince Andrew
    Kristin Contino
    Kristin Contino
    Senior Royal and Celebrity Editor

    Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

    Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

    Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.

    Read more
    Prince William playing with Princess Eugenie's hat
    Royals Prince William and His Cousins Are "Like Any Other Family" With One Activity
    By Kristin Contino
    King Charles wears a red military uniform and looks concerned while standing on Buckingham Palace balcony with Queen Elizabeth II, who wears a baby blue outfit
    Royals Queen Elizabeth's Employee Revealed "Intimate Details"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Prince William laughing while talking to a couple in Wales
    Royals Prince William Admits He Got Up to Some "Dodgy" Activities as a Kid
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, has red hair and a short beard and wears a suit and tie and attends the Kyiv Security Forum, in Kyiv on April 23, 2026
    Royals Prince Harry "Used to Try and Escape" and "Disappear"
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Queen Camilla and her son, Tom Parker Bowles
    Royals Queen Camilla Developed a Surprising Hidden Talent
    King Charles wears a gray suit and reads a book, performing with his hands
    Royals King Charles "Would Do All the Voices" When Reading One Book
     
     
    Young Prince William has dark blonde hair and wears a suit, while posing with Queen Elizabeth II on Buckingham Palace balcony
    Royals Prince William Left Royal Staff "Frantic" and "Terrified"
    Kate Middleton looks sad while wearing all black, she has long wavy brunette hair
    Royals Princess Kate Caused One Designer to Worry Someone Had Died
     
     
    Latest in News
    Queen Camilla and her son, Tom Parker Bowles
    Royals Queen Camilla Developed a Surprising Hidden Talent
    King Charles wears a gray suit and reads a book, performing with his hands
    Royals King Charles "Would Do All the Voices" When Reading One Book
     
     
    Dakota Johnson Starts Her Birthday Celebrations Early in a Flame Red Versace PVC Dress and a Vintage Dries Van Noten Robe
    Celebrity Style Dakota Johnson Starts Her Birthday Celebrations Early in Versace
    Taylor Swift appears on SNL wearing a plaid mini dress from Simkhai
    Celebrity Style Taylor Swift Styles a Perfect-for-Fall Simkhai Dress
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.