The Duchess of York’s former spokesman has attempted to excuse her groveling email to Jeffrey Epstein by saying the pedophile made a threatening phone call in which he channeled Hannibal Lecter.

It is the first sign of a public fight back from the disgraced duchess, who has seen charities sever ties with her after the email, which praised Epstein as a “supreme friend,” was published.

James Henderson told the Daily Telegraph: “People don’t understand how terrible Epstein was.”

“I can remember everything about that call. He said he would destroy the York family, and he was quite clear on that. He said he would destroy me. He wasn’t shouting. He had a Hannibal Lecter-type voice. It was very cold and calm and really menacing and nasty,” he said.

Henderson said he was so shaken that he sa

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