An American who accuses Prince Andrew of abusing her through financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring filed a lawsuit in New York against British royalty on Monday, his lawyer said.
The complaint claims that the Duke of York, second son of the Queen of England, is “one of the powerful men” to whom Virginia Giuffre was “delivered for sexual purposes”.
According to the complainant, the events took place between 2000 and 2002, when she was 16, and took place via the vast sex trafficking ring for which Epstein was arrested.
Epstein was arrested and charged with child sex trafficking in July 2019. He pleaded not guilty and a month later his body was found in jail awaiting trial. The suspicion is that he committed suicide in the detention center.
“I hold Prince Andrew responsible for what he did to me. The rich and powerful are not exempt from responsibility. I hope other victims see that it is possible not to live in silence. and fear, ”Virginia said.
The 61-year-old prince denied the charges in a BBC interview in November 2019. Andrew questioned the authenticity of a photo in which he appears with Virginia and, in the background, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is there Epstein’s ex-girlfriend arrested for collaborating with the billionaire.
Despite his denials, Andrew’s association with the American businessman forced him to retire from public life.