Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre sues Prince Andrew over alleged sexual abuse

Miu von Furstenberg 4 Min Read
Prince Andrew The Duke Of York Visits The Great Yorkshire Show

Virginia Giuffre, an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein, has filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew for alleged sexual assault when she was 17.

The lawsuit, filed in New York, alleges that Andrew sexually abused Giuffre when she was 17 years old, and forced her to engage in sexual acts against her will on three separate occasions.

“Today my attorney filed suit against Andrew for sexual abuse under the Child Victims Act,” Giuffre said in a statement to CNN. “As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him.”

Prince Andrew 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 - Day One
Prince Andrew during day one of the 16th IAAF World Athletics Championships London 2017 at The London Stadium on August 4, 2017 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Getty Images)

Giuffre said she is filing the lawsuit to “[hold] Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me.”

“The powerful and the 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 one can reclaim her life by speaking out and demanding justice.”

Prince Andrew Members Of The Royal Family Attend Events To Mark The Centenary Of The RAF
Prince Andrew attends as members of the Royal Family attend events to mark the centenary of the RAF on July 10, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Getty Images)

“I did not come to this decision lightly. As a mother and a wife, my family comes first. I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates. But I knew that if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down.”

Giuffre alleges that Prince Andrew sexually abused her on three separate occasions in 2001 and 2002, with one of the incidents occurring at Epstein’s mansion in New York City. The lawsuit claims Prince Andrew forced Giuffre “to engage in sex acts against her will” during that encounter. In another alleged incident in London, Giuffre claims she was forced to have sexual intercourse with Andrew against her will.

Prince Andrew The Duke Of York Visits The Great Yorkshire Show
Prince Andrew, Duke of York visits the showground on the final day of the 161st Great Yorkshire Show on July 11, 2019 in Harrogate, England. Organiser’s of the show this year have revealed that overall entries for the three-day show are higher than in any previous years. The Great Yorkshire Show is England’s premier agricultural event and is organised by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. The YAS support and promotes the farming industry through health care, business, education and funding scientific research into rural affairs. First held in 1838 the show brings together agricultural displays, livestock events, farming demonstrations, food, dairy and produce stands as well as equestrian events. The popular agricultural show is held over three days and celebrates the farming and agricultural community and their way of life. (Photo by Ian Forsyth/Getty Images)

Because of Andrew’s alleged abuse, the lawsuit says, Giuffre has suffered “substantial damages, including extreme emotional distress, humiliation, fear, psychological trauma, loss of dignity and self-esteem, and invasion of her privacy.”

“Twenty years ago Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position, and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her,” the lawsuit said. “It is long past the time for him to be held to account.”


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