Prince Andrew is facing a lawsuit for the alleged sexual abuse of Virginia Roberts Giuffre. The crime allegedly happened when she was under 18 years old at Jeffery Epstein’s Manhattan mansion.
ABC News points out that this lawsuit comes almost two years to the day after Epstein died in a New York jail. The late Epstein was awaiting trial on conspiracy and child sex trafficking charges. His death launched countless conspiracy theories, especially considering the circles Epstein was in. Additionally, this came days before the statue of limitations would stop alleged victims of childhood sexual abuse to file civil claims.
“If she doesn’t do it now, she would be allowing him to escape any accountability for his actions,” David Boies, the attorney for Giuffre, told ABC News. “And Virginia is committed to trying to avoid situations where rich and powerful people escape any accountability for their actions.”
“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. It is long past the time for him to be held to account,” the lawsuit states.
Giuffre shared a statement, through her lawyers, with ABC News:
“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,” Giuffre said. “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.”
A U.K.-based spokesperson for Prince Andrew said there would be no comment on the suit. He also claimed that he had an alibi for the date of the encounter, claiming he was home with his daughter, Beatrice.
“I was at home,” the prince said. “I was with the children, and I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at, I suppose, sort of 4 or 5 in the afternoon. And then, because the Duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other one is there. I was on terminal leave at the time from the Royal Navy, so therefore I was at home.”
The prince’s infamous interview was harshly criticized in the British press and, within days, he released a new statement conceding that his “former association” with Epstein had become a major distraction for the royal family, and he stepped back from official duties.
Prince Andrew denied the allegations previously in interviews, including one when he claimed he “does not sweat.”
“I’ve said consistently and frequently that we never had any sort of sexual contact whatever,” he said.
Despite the allegations against him, they don’t seem to take up the same news bandwidth as speculation as to why Meghan Markle didn’t attend Barak Obama’s birthday party.
(via ABC News, image: Steve Parsons – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
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