Prince Andrew news – Royal ‘can’t ignore court’ over Virginia Giuffre rape claims as Eugenie arrives at Balmoral
PRINCE Andrew can no longer "hide behind wealth" and will face court over the rape claims against him, it has been claimed.
In a new lawsuit, Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre says she was “forced to have sexual intercourse with Prince Andrew against her will” and lists offences including “rape in the first degree”.
Now her lawyer David Boies has that Ms Giuffre intends to send a message that the alleged behaviour "is not acceptable and that you cannot hide behind wealth and power and palace walls".
He added that "at this point litigation is the only way to establish once and for all what the truth is - and litigation is the only way to establish once and for all what Prince Andrew's evidence actually is".
Andrew fiercely denies any allegations, says he has no memory of even meeting Roberts, and has said he had no suspicions of Epstein's wrongdoing during their friendship.
Read our Prince Andrew live blog below for the latest updates
FERGIE’S BACK
Fergie was set for her first Balmoral summer break after more than 25 YEARS after arriving at the Queen’s home with Prince Andrew yesterday.
The Duchess of York was BANNED by Prince Philip after her bitter split and divorce in the 1990s.
Fergie, 62, who lives with Andy, 61, at Royal Lodge in Windsor, was usually kicked out of Balmoral when Philip arrived for the annual summer trip.
But the Duke of Edinburgh died aged 99-years-old in April and this summer will be the first time the entire royal clan has met since his funeral.
Philip had always refused to be under the same roof as Fergie since her divorce from Prince Andrew in 1996.
Insiders say he blamed her for publicly humiliating the Queen and the Royal Family over the years.
ANDREW ACCUSER SAYS SHE ‘FEARED DEATH’ IF SHE DID NOT SLEEP WITH HIM
Virginia Roberts Giuffre has told how she “feared death” if she did not sleep with Prince Andrew in an explosive lawsuit.
The 38-year-old victim of Jeffrey Epstein is now suing the Duke of York, almost two years exactly since the disgraced financier was found dead in a New York jail awaiting trial for conspiracy and child sex trafficking charges.
Ms Giuffre claims she was abused by Prince Andrew at Epstein’s Manhattan home, on his private Caribbean island, and at Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London.
Andrew, 61, has always denied any allegations that he had sexual contact with Ms Giuffre or that he had any knowledge of Epstein’s wrongdoing.
But he is the only defendant named in the 15-page lawsuit, brought under New York state’s Child Victims Act, though Epstein and his former girlfriend Maxwell are mentioned frequently throughout.
WHAT DID ANDREW SAY TO NEWSNIGHT?
In Prince Andrew’s Newsnight interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis in November 2019, he denied claims that he slept with Ms Giuffre on three separate occasions.
He said: “I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever.”
The duke also said he has no memory of a well-known photograph of him with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist at Maxwell’s house, and has questioned whether it was his own hand in the image.
He did say that he regrets visiting the sex offender in New York in December 2010 and said he went to end his friendship – when the infamous photo was snapped.
But added that he only went on the visit to tell Epstein that the pair could no longer stay in contact and that he only stayed at his Manhattan home because it was “a convenient place to stay”.
WHAT HAS VIRGINIA GIUFFRE SAID ABOUT PRINCE ANDREW?
Virginia Giuffre, who lives in Australia, has launched a legal battle against Prince Andrew in August 2021, she released a statement.
She said:”I am holding 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.
“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.”
PRINCE ANDREW SUED BY EPSTEIN VICTIM VIRGINIA ROBERTS IN LAWSUIT ACCUSING HIM OF SEXUALLY ABUSING HER AS A TEENAGER
Virginia Roberts Giuffre has launched a legal battle against Prince Andrew accusing him of sexually abusing her at Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion.
The 38-year-old is suing the Duke of York over allegations that he abused her once at the disgraced financiers Manhattan home and another location while she was under 18, according to court records.
Prince Andrew, 61, has always denied any allegations that he had sexual contact with Ms Giuffre or that he had any knowledge of Epstein’s wrongdoing.
Her lawsuit also come just days before the expiration date of a New York state law which allows alleged victims of sexual abuse as kids to file civil claims that could be blocked by the statue of limitations.
Giuffre’s lawyers, Davide Boies told : “If she doesn’t do it now, she would be allowing him to escape any accountability for his actions. “And Virginia is committed to trying to avoid situations where rich and powerful people escape any accountability for their actions.”
ROYAL FIGHT
Prince Andrew does not have diplomatic immunity that could protect him from a sex abuse lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
The 61-year-old is facing a new wave of trouble over his links to the disgraced paedo financier – and its believed his status as a Royal will not be able to help him.
Members of the the immediate royal household are considered immune – but Andrew is not believed to be included in this bracket, especially after he stepped back from his duties.
Bob Morris, a constitutional law professor at UCL, told The Sun Online in December 2019: “[Sovereign immunity] is a concept devised to protect the position of heads of state, but heads of state only, not the members of their family in their function as head of state. And you can’t have more than one head of the state.
“So it doesn’t apply to the members of people’s families, there is no logic in doing so.
“Andrew is in the same position as any other UK citizen.”
STONEWALLED
Since denying the allegations Ms Giuffre’s lawyers claim that they have made multiple attempts to contact the Duke and his legal team but have been ignored.
According to her lawyer the latest letter sent to Prince Andrew was sent last month, and warned that a lawsuit could be filed.
In a infamous Newsnight interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis in November 2019, Andrew denied claims that he slept with Ms Giuffre and said he had “no recollection” of ever meeting her.
He also said he has no memory of the well-known photograph of him with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist at Maxwell’s house, and has questioned whether it was his own hand in the image.
The fallout from the interview saw the royal criticised for showing a lack of empathy towards Epstein’s victims and a lack of remorse over his friendship with disgraced financier.
Andrew quit his royal duties and publicly promised to co-operate with US authorities investigating Epstein’s crimes, though has since faced a war of words between his camp and American authorities over his availability to answer questions.
ADVICE FOR ANDY
Prince Andrew has been advised by the ex-lawyer of rapist Harvey Weinstein.
The news emerged last night as sex accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre threatens to sue the royal.
Blair Berk, 57, known for solving stars’ legal scrapes, was consulted by representatives of the Duke of York, 61, The Sun can reveal.
She was hired by shamed film mogul Weinstein in 2017 before he was jailed for rape and sex assault following a string of #MeToo claims by film actresses.
It is not known if she is still working on Andrew’s behalf.
STONEWALLED
Since denying the allegations Ms Giuffre’s lawyers claim that they have made multiple attempts to contact the Duke and his legal team but have been ignored.
According to her lawyer the latest letter sent to Prince Andrew was sent last month, and warned that a lawsuit could be filed.
In a infamous Newsnight interview with the BBC’s Emily Maitlis in November 2019, Andrew denied claims that he slept with Ms Giuffre and said he had “no recollection” of ever meeting her.
He also said he has no memory of the well-known photograph of him with his arm around Ms Giuffre’s waist at Maxwell’s house, and has questioned whether it was his own hand in the image.
The fallout from the interview saw the royal criticised for showing a lack of empathy towards Epstein’s victims and a lack of remorse over his friendship with disgraced financier.
Andrew quit his royal duties and publicly promised to co-operate with US authorities investigating Epstein’s crimes, though has since faced a war of words between his camp and American authorities over his availability to answer questions.
HOW IS PRINCE ANDREW LINKED TO JEFFREY EPSTEIN?
The Duke of York said he first met Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire financier, in 1999 with the now dead banker once describing him as his “best friend.”
That was also the year the UK press reported on the pair’s friendship.
The pair are thought to have flown together on Epstein’s private jet to the US Virgin Islands.
And in June 2000, Epstein and his Brit “madam” ex, Maxwell were both guests at a party hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle.
Prince Andrew also became close with Maxwell – pictured together that same year at a Halloween party hosted by Heidi Klum in New York.
Just over a month later, in December 2000, the then 40-year-old prince, threw Ms Maxwell a surprise birthday party at Sandringham, with Epstein among the guests.
ADVICE FOR ANDY
Prince Andrew has been advised by the ex-lawyer of rapist Harvey Weinstein.
The news emerged last night as sex accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre threatens to sue the royal.
Blair Berk, 57, known for solving stars’ legal scrapes, was consulted by representatives of the Duke of York, 61, The Sun can reveal.
She was hired by shamed film mogul Weinstein in 2017 before he was jailed for rape and sex assault following a string of #MeToo claims by film actresses.
It is not known if she is still working on Andrew’s behalf.
QUESTIONABLE CONNECTION
Prince Andrew has been advised by the ex-lawyer of rapist Harvey Weinstein.
The news emerged last night as sex accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre threatens to sue the royal.
Blair Berk, 57, known for solving stars’ legal scrapes, was consulted by representatives of the Duke of York, 61, The Sun can reveal.
She was hired by shamed film mogul Weinstein in 2017 before he was jailed for rape and sex assault following a string of #MeToo claims by film actresses.
Ms Berk has also worked for Kanye West, Lindsay Lohan and acted for Mel Gibson after he unleashed an anti-Jewish tirade when stopped by traffic cops.
It is not known if she is still working on Andrew’s behalf.
CHASING ANDY
Prince Andrew, 61, has always denied any allegations that he had sexual contact with Ms Giuffre or that he had any knowledge of Epstein’s wrongdoing.
Andrew is named as the only defendant in the 15-page suit, brought under New York state’s Child Victims Act, though Epstein and his former girlfriend Maxwell are mentioned frequently throughout.
It is the first time he has been subject to a lawsuit over the case since the allegations against him were made public ten years ago.
Ms Giuffre is seeking unknown amounts of compensation and punitive damages over the allegations.
Questions are now swirling about what is next for Andrew – with the Duke not enjoying the same diplomatic immunity held by his mum, The Queen.
US officials have previously said they are not seeking to extradite Andrew, and this may not apply to Ms Giuffre’s case as it is civil suit rather than a criminal prosecution.
However, Andrew may avoid ever setting foot in the US again.
WHAT ARE THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST PRINCE ANDREW?
Virginia Roberts — who now uses her married name Giuffre — launched a legal battle against Prince Andrew on August 10, 2021, accusing him of sexually abusing her at Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion.
She said it was “past the time for him to be held to account” for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
But Prince Andrew has previously strenuously denied her claim he had sex with her.
Lawyers for Ms Giuffre filed the civil suit seeking unspecified damages at a federal court in New York, where the court documents claim she was “lent out for sexual purposes” by convicted sex offender Epstein including while she was still a minor under US law.
Andrew is named as the only defendant in the 15-page suit, brought under New York state’s Child Victims Act, though Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell are mentioned frequently throughout.
PRINCE ANDREW ALLEGATIONS
ANDREW ACCUSER SAYS SHE ‘FEARED DEATH’ IF SHE DID NOT SLEEP WITH HIM
Virginia Roberts Giuffre has told how she “feared death” if she did not sleep with Prince Andrew in an explosive lawsuit.
The 38-year-old victim of Jeffrey Epstein is now suing the Duke of York, almost two years exactly since the disgraced financier was found dead in a New York jail awaiting trial for conspiracy and child sex trafficking charges.
Ms Giuffre claims she was abused by Prince Andrew at Epstein’s Manhattan home, on his private Caribbean island, and at Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London.
Andrew, 61, has always denied any allegations that he had sexual contact with Ms Giuffre or that he had any knowledge of Epstein’s wrongdoing.
But he is the only defendant named in the 15-page lawsuit, brought under New York state’s Child Victims Act, though Epstein and his former girlfriend Maxwell are mentioned frequently throughout.
QUESTIONABLE CONNECTION
Prince Andrew has been advised by the ex-lawyer of rapist Harvey Weinstein.
The news emerged last night as sex accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre threatens to sue the royal.
Blair Berk, 57, known for solving stars’ legal scrapes, was consulted by representatives of the Duke of York, 61, The Sun can reveal.
She was hired by shamed film mogul Weinstein in 2017 before he was jailed for rape and sex assault following a string of #MeToo claims by film actresses.
Ms Berk has also worked for Kanye West, Lindsay Lohan and acted for Mel Gibson after he unleashed an anti-Jewish tirade when stopped by traffic cops.
It is not known if she is still working on Andrew’s behalf.
ADVICE FOR ANDY
Prince Andrew has been advised by the ex-lawyer of rapist Harvey Weinstein.
The news emerged last night as sex accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre threatens to sue the royal.
Blair Berk, 57, known for solving stars’ legal scrapes, was consulted by representatives of the Duke of York, 61, The Sun can reveal.
She was hired by shamed film mogul Weinstein in 2017 before he was jailed for rape and sex assault following a string of #MeToo claims by film actresses.
It is not known if she is still working on Andrew’s behalf.
PRINCE ANDREW DASHES TO BALMORAL TO SEE QUEEN HOURS BEFORE BOMBSHELL LAWSUIT ACCUSES HIM OF ‘RAPE IN FIRST DEGREE’
The Duke of York, 61, left for Balmoral with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson hours before a US summons was sent to his Windsor home.
His accuser ’s lawyer last night warned a criminal probe could be opened into the royal’s alleged abuse of the then-17-year-old. David Boies, speaking exclusively to The Sun, said prosecutors began investigating Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell after civil claims against them.
Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit says she was “forced to have sexual intercourse with Prince Andrew against her will” and lists offences including “rape in the first degree”.
A Balmoral source said of Her Majesty, faced with the fallout from Megxit and whose husband Philip died in April: “The Queen could do without this after the year she has had.
“Summer at Balmoral is a special time when the family come together, take stock, relax and recharge their batteries.
“But the first thing she is having to deal with is her 61-year-old son turning up on her doorstep with his ex-wife, hours after learning he is being sued for allegedly abusing a 17-year-old girl."
ROYAL FIGHT
Prince Andrew does not have diplomatic immunity that could protect him from a sex abuse lawsuit filed by Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
The 61-year-old is facing a new wave of trouble over his links to the disgraced paedo financier – and its believed his status as a Royal will not be able to help him.
Members of the the immediate royal household are considered immune – but Andrew is not believed to be included in this bracket, especially after he stepped back from his duties.
Bob Morris, a constitutional law professor at UCL, told The Sun Online in December 2019: “[Sovereign immunity] is a concept devised to protect the position of heads of state, but heads of state only, not the members of their family in their function as head of state. And you can’t have more than one head of the state.
“So it doesn’t apply to the members of people’s families, there is no logic in doing so.
“Andrew is in the same position as any other UK citizen.”
VIRGINIA GIUFFRE’S LAWYERS CLAIM THEY HAVE MADE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT PRINCE ANDREW
Buckingham Palace “emphatically” denied the claims, as has Maxwell, stating that the allegations were “false.”
Since denying the allegations Ms Giuffre’s lawyers claim that they have made multiple attempts to contact the Duke and his legal team but have been ignored.
Mr Boies added: “Since 2015, we’ve been trying to have a dialog with Prince Andrew or his lawyers. We have given him every opportunity to provide any explanation or context that he might have.
“We’ve tried to reach a resolution without the necessity of litigation. Prince Andrew and his lawyers have been totally non-responsive. If she had simply failed to sue now, it would have validated the stonewalling tactics that Andrew and his advisers have employed.”
According to her lawyer the latest letter sent to Prince Andrew was sent last month, and warned that a lawsuit could be filed.
WHAT HAS ANDREW SAID ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS? (Continued...)
Prince Andrew added: "At no stage during the limited time I spent with [Epstein] did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction."
All the allegations about Prince Andrew were struck from the court record in 2015.
They were described by the judge as being "immaterial and impertinent".
WHAT HAS ANDREW SAID ABOUT THE ALLEGATIONS?
The Prince has strenuously denied all allegations brought against him.
Buckingham Palace strongly denied the allegation in 2015 saying "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors" by the Duke was "categorically untrue".
It has consistently denied the allegations, reinforcing that statement in 2019 by saying "Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.
"It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."
WHAT DID THE CHANNEL 4 DISPATCHES DOCUMENTARY REVEAL?
The Dispatches programme The Prince and the Paedophile examined the relationship between Prince Andrew and Epstein.
Reporter Cathy Newman looked at Epstein's British connections from Prince Andrew to Ghislaine Maxwell.
Private investigator Mike Fisten has already claimed that Epstein had 13 telephone numbers to contact the Queen's second son on.
A telephone contact book was found in Epstein's Palm Beach home that is said to have included a line for the Duke of York at Buckingham Palace.
WHAT HAS COURTNEY LOVE SAID ABOUT PRINCE ANDREW?
Courtney Love has alleged Prince Andrew once tried to seduce her — amid claims that they were introduced through paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The royal turned up at the star’s house at 1am “looking for sex”, shortly after being introduced to the disgraced financier.
While they did not sleep together, Courtney — widow of Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain — has told friends Andrew was “very flirtatious”.
The 55-year-old singer was among those recently named in Epstein’s infamous black book.
