Prince Andrew 'had sex with me when I was 17', says alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim
Lily Puckett
The Independent September 20, 2019
Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein: Getty
A woman who alleges she was a victim of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein has said she was forced into sexual encounters with Prince Andrew, branding him an "abuser".
Virginia Giuffre, one of 16 women who have accused Epstein of wrongdoing, said in an interview that the disgraced financier had directed her to have sex with other men, including Prince Andrew.
"The first time in London, I was so young," Ms Giuffre told NBC. Referring to Ghilsaine Maxwell, the notorious friend of Epstein who is accused of being an accomplice in the now-deceased paedophile's sex trafficking, she said: "Ghislaine woke me up in the morning and she said, 'You're gonna meet a prince today'. I didn't know at that point that I was going to be trafficked to that prince."
Ms Giuffre had previously alleged that Epstein "recruited" her while she was working in the locker room at Mar-a-Lago when she was 15, coercing her into sexual activity for payments. She says she was 17 when Prince Andrew abused her.
"That night Prince Andrew came to her house in London," Ms Giuffre continued, describing the night when she was told she'd meet Andrew. "And we went out to Club Tramp. Prince Andrew got me alcohol. It was in the VIP section. I'm pretty sure it was vodka.
"Prince Andrew was like, 'Let's dance together.' And I was like, 'OK.' And we leave Club Tramp," she continued. "And I hop in the car with Ghislaine and Jeffrey, and Ghislaine said, 'He's coming back to the house. And I want you to do for him what you do for Epstein.' I couldn't believe it."
Her allegations, which Andrew strongly denies, were struck from US civil court records in 2015 after a judge said they were "immaterial and impertinent".
Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers, arrives with her lawyer for a hearing in the criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein in August (Reuters)
"He denies that it ever happened," she told Samantha Guthrie in the interview, echoing those claims. "And he's going to keep denying that it ever happened. But he knows the truth. And I know the truth."
Mrs Giuffre was then asked what Epstein's alleged victims want, after the disgraced financier was found dead on 10 August in his New York prison cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges.
"Justice now is holding accountable the perpetrators that helped him, and participated with him, and encouraging more people to come forward," she replied.
Buckingham Palace said it had nothing to add to its previous statement, which read: "It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."
Andrew last month issued a statement about Epstein, saying: "At no stage during the limited time I spent with him did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction."
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He said he had "tremendous sympathy" for Epstein's alleged victims, and reiterated that it was a "mistake" seeing the 66-year-old after the American's release from an 18-month prison term in 2010 for prostituting minors.
British actress Anouska de Georgiou was also part of the interview to be broadcast on Friday.
She said: "The only solace for me is that when a group of people who have experienced trauma of this kind come together united against a common enemy.
"There's a very special bond between us all."
Ms Maxwell has repeatedly denied any involvement.
Additional reporting by PA
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