One of Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre has filed a lawsuit in New York Federal court against Britain’s Prince Andrew on Monday for alleged sexual abuse.
In the complaint, Virginia Giuffre has said that the Duke of York, Queen Elizabeth’s second son, has sexually assaulted and battered her about two decades ago, when she was 17.
In a statement, Giuffre said that she is holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to her. The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. She hoped that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear. But to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice, she added.
It is the first case against a member of the UK royal family for sexual abuse, till now only links were drawn between him and Jeffrey Epstein, who was also friends with Bill Gates and many others.
Buckingham Palace, meanwhile, has denied her allegations saying that it is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation, it said in a statement to news publication CNN.
In the lawsuit, Giuffre has claimed that Prince Andrew sexually abused her at both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s invitation and alleged sexual abuse occurred on three occasions. At Maxwell’s home in London, at Epstein’s home in Manhattan, and on Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands, she said.
Further, she accused Prince Andrew of knowing her age and that she was a sex-trafficking victim being forced to engage in sexual acts with him. She feared disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth, and authority, the lawsuit stated.
According to the lawsuit, Giuffre is seeking damages in an amount to be determined at trial as well as attorneys’ fees and other further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.