Virginia Giuffre has filed a civil lawsuit against Britain’s Prince Andrew, claiming he sexually abused her in London and New York.
Giuffre filed the lawsuit in a Manhattan federal court on Monday, stating it was brought under the Child Victims Act. She alleges she was trafficked and sexually abused by Andrew when she was 17.
Giuffre asked for “punitive damages” against the royal, calling for a “trial by jury.”
“I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me,” she said in a statement. “The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope 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.”
Andrew’s representatives had no comment on Giuffre’s lawsuit. He denies the alleged abuse.
“It didn’t happen. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” he told BBC Newsnight in 2019.
Giuffre is a long-time accuser of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and told the BBC in 2019 she was forced to perform sex acts with Andrew. She said she was trafficked by Epstein when she was underage and coerced into having sex with his friends, including the prince. Epstein was found dead in a federal jail in Manhattan in 2019.
Manhattan federal prosecutors have previously requested a meeting with Andrew as part of the investigation into Epstein’s abuse of women and teenage girls. Braw Edwards, a lawyer representing several of Epstein’s victims, said the prince has failed to come forward despite offering his assistance in an interview on Sky News.