Virginia Giuffre Vows to Destroy Prince Andrew After Royal Used 'Victim-Blaming' Tactic, Media Says
09:10 GMT 16.01.2022 (Updated: 15:17 GMT 28.05.2023)
© AP Photo / Bebeto Matthews
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Prince Andrew is being sued by an American woman, who claims the royal sexually assaulted her when she was a minor. Virginia Giuffre said she was trafficked to London by the royal's acquaintance, Jeffrey Epstein, and forced into an intimate relationship with the Duke of York. Prince Andrew has consistently denied the accusations.
Prince Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre has vowed to destroy the the royal and leave him penniless, the Daily Mail has reported, citing a source close to her legal team. According to the insider, the mother of three was livid at the tactics employed by the royal's legal team, which was described as "victim-blaming".
"Andrew has ruined himself through his arrogance. It is Virginia's firm belief that Andrew should go to jail, but leaving him broke and destroyed may be enough", the insider said.
The statement comes as the Duke of York's legal team has asked permission to interview under oath Mrs Giuffre's psychologist Dr Judith Lightfoot as well as her husband Robert about the woman's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of the two.
Prince Andrew’s lawyers believe the mother of three "may suffer from false memories" because her allegations about the purported sexual assault involving the royal "have repeatedly changed over the years".
Prince Andrew’s lawyers believe the mother of three "may suffer from false memories" because her allegations about the purported sexual assault involving the royal "have repeatedly changed over the years".
Connection to Jeffrey Epstein
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II maintained a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a US financier who was charged with running a sex trafficking network of minors in 2019. Virginia Giuffre (nee Roberts) is one of the alleged victims of Epstein.
She claims that in 2001 when she was 17 (considered a minor in most US states) Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to London, whe she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew, who purportedly slept with her on two other separate occasions. Giuffre came forward with the accusations in the 2010s, but the case only received attention in 2019 after Epstein's arrest.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied the accusations against him. In the latest letter to the judge, his lawyers said the royal believes that her accusations against him are allegedly an attempt "to deflect" attention from her involvement in Epstein's crime network. Giuffre is said to have recruited girls and women for Epstein. One of the financier's victims has recently broken her silence about the issue, saying she has no sympathy for Giuffre.
Reports say that when Epstein sent Giuffre to Thailand, where she met her future husband, he tasked her with bringing young women and girls to the United States for the sex trafficking scheme. It is for this reason that the Duke of York's lawyers seek to interview Giuffre's husband and psychologist.
Mrs Giuffre's lawyers, in turn, want to interview Prince Andrew's former assistant Robert Olney. Court documents seen by Sky News, show that his name appears in Jeffrey Epstein's phone book as "Duke of York". The legal team plans to quiz him about the royal's trips to and from Epstein's homes.
Another witness that will likely testify in the case is Shukri Walker, a Somali-born woman, who lives in London.
Virginia Giuffre previously claimed that she became acquainted with Prince Andrew at the Tramp nightclub in the British capital, where she was allegedly taken by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The mother of three said the royal was "profusely sweating" while dancing with her.
Prince Andrew has dismissed the allegation, saying he's never met the women and that a war-time incident left him incapable of sweating. However, Shukri Walker claims to have seen Andrew with the young Giuffre. A former Epstein employee also reportedly saw the Duke of York with Giuffre on the financier's private island.
Prince Andrew has consistently denied the accusations against him. In the latest letter to the judge, his lawyers said the royal believes that her accusations against him are allegedly an attempt "to deflect" attention from her involvement in Epstein's crime network. Giuffre is said to have recruited girls and women for Epstein. One of the financier's victims has recently broken her silence about the issue, saying she has no sympathy for Giuffre.
Reports say that when Epstein sent Giuffre to Thailand, where she met her future husband, he tasked her with bringing young women and girls to the United States for the sex trafficking scheme. It is for this reason that the Duke of York's lawyers seek to interview Giuffre's husband and psychologist.
Mrs Giuffre's lawyers, in turn, want to interview Prince Andrew's former assistant Robert Olney. Court documents seen by Sky News, show that his name appears in Jeffrey Epstein's phone book as "Duke of York". The legal team plans to quiz him about the royal's trips to and from Epstein's homes.
Another witness that will likely testify in the case is Shukri Walker, a Somali-born woman, who lives in London.
Virginia Giuffre previously claimed that she became acquainted with Prince Andrew at the Tramp nightclub in the British capital, where she was allegedly taken by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The mother of three said the royal was "profusely sweating" while dancing with her.
Prince Andrew has dismissed the allegation, saying he's never met the women and that a war-time incident left him incapable of sweating. However, Shukri Walker claims to have seen Andrew with the young Giuffre. A former Epstein employee also reportedly saw the Duke of York with Giuffre on the financier's private island.
The trial is scheduled for late 2022. Reports say Prince Andrew may strike an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre that will see him pay up to $13 million. Other reports suggest that Giuffre is not interested in the settlement and wants the case go to trial for the sake of justice.
