An American woman claims discredited financier Jeffrey Epstein forced her to have sex with Prince Andrew of the UK when she was 17.
"This is not a story of sex, it's a story of trafficking, it's a story of abuse and a story of the boys of the kingdom," Virginia Roberts Giuffre said in a BBC documentary.
In an interview recently with the BBC, Prince Andrew denied Giuffre's accusations, saying he did not remember meeting her. "If you are a man, having sex is a positive thing," the prince explained. "It's very difficult to forget something positive and I don't remember anything."
He also defended his relationship with Epstein, who was charged and convicted of juvenile trafficking, juvenile prostitution and sexual abuse in August killing himself in his cell. His interview was considered a disaster and in the following days, Andrew was forced out of royal duties.
Giuffre - now 35 and mother of three - told the BBC she passed on to Epstein's powerful friends "like a plate of fruit."
She said she had been sent to Andrew three times, from 2001 to 2002: once in London at Epstein's girlfriend's house, once at his New York residence and once on a private island in the Caribbean, owned by Epstein.
"It didn't take long," she said of the three alleged meetings with the prince. "He got up and said 'thank you'. I sat on the couch and just looked terrified. I felt dirty, ?Giuffre said.
Prince Andrew, in an interview with the BBC, was unable to explain a photograph showing himself in the company of Giuffre, simply saying that the photograph could be a montage.
The photo, first released in 2011, was allegedly taken at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell in London - the daughter of British mogul Robert Maxwell, also known for his business scams. After his father's death in 1991, Ghislaine moved to the United States and became Jeffrey Epstein's right-hand man. Ghislaine was Epstein's lover and close friend to Prince Andrew.
Maxwell is described by Epstein's victims as "his lady" who "supplied" him with young girls and women who were used by him.
As for photography, she said: "I think the world is getting sick of these ridiculous excuses. It's a real picture. I've given it to the FBI to investigate and it's an authentic photo. She added that having a photo has a note back on March 13, 2001.
When Virginia Giuffre told her Daily Mail story in 2011, reporter Sharon Churcher wrote: "There is no indication that there was a sexual relationship between Virginia and Prince Andrew, or that Andrew knew Epstein was paying her. what to do with his friends. "
But in a 2015 lawsuit, Giuffre, whose maiden surname is Roberts, was told she had "been forced to have sex with the prince when she was a minor and that had happened in three different places."
In the interview, she also told about the meeting and how she was introduced to Prince Andrew in March 2001. Virginia claims that they met at a London Tramp nightclub where Andrew asked them to dance. "I mean, it was the most terrifying dancer I've ever seen in my life. He was sweating. His sweat was falling all over. But I had to look happy because Jeffrey and Ghislaine were expecting this from me. "
After interviewing Emily Maitlis on BBC Newsnight, Prince Andrew stepped down from royal duties.
Kingdom expert Katie Nicholl told Entertainment Tonight it was Queen Elizabeth II who made the decision for Andrew. According to Nicholl, the queen was aware that Prince Andrew was causing great damage to the monarchy so he had to withdraw.
"In meeting him, it became very clear to him that there was no choice but to relinquish his royal duties. It must have been incredibly difficult for the queen, ?Katie said.
So far, it is still unclear how the issue of the prince who is widely regarded as the queen's favorite son will continue to be. Other sources say Prince Andrew will keep a low profile for long.
Source: The Washington Post
