Prince Andrew sued for sexual assault—what we know so far about Virginia Giuffre and her decades-long battle with the Queen's second son

Virginia Giuffre has filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew in a federal New York court, alleging that she was abused by the Duke of York and Jeffrey Epstein when she was underage. 

• Prince Andrew is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, one of the most outspoken survivors of the alleged sex trafficking ring operated by Jeffrey Epstein. 
• Giuffre has filed a lawsuit against the Queen's 61-year-old son, alleging he sexually abused her when she was a minor. 
• In other royal news, Queen stuns in bright pink outfit and patriotic brooch as she takes up summer residence at Balmoral Castle.
  

Who is Virginia Giuffre? 

Virginia Giuffre is one of the most known survivors of the alleged sex trafficking ring ran by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Born in California in 1983, the Victims Refuse Silence founder first accused Prince Andrew of abuse in 2014 as part of a case brought by alleged Epstein victims against the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2019, she told the BBC that she was enslaved by Epstein as a minor and forced to have sex with his friends, one of whom included Prince Andrew. 

Buckingham Palace has categorically denied Giuffre had any contact with the Queen's second youngest son, dismissing the accusations as "false and without foundation." Now, the mother-of-three is suing Prince Andrew for sexual assault and battery. 

How did Virginia Giuffre meet Prince Andrew? 

Giuffre claims that she was introduced to Prince Andrew by Epstein and his British socialite girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 2001. Maxwell had first approached Giuffre when the teenager was working as a spa attendant at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. Maxwell offered her a job as a masseuse, promising to give her the necessary training to become a fully qualified massage therapist. 

Maxwell then introduced her to Epstein, and together, the couple allegedly began to groom the 17-year-old to provide sexual services to their circle of friends—which included Prince Andrew. 

Giuffre claims that she was trafficked to the Duke of York in 2001 and forced to have sex with him three times—an experience that she described as "wicked" and "really scary" in a 2019 interview. 

In an interview with BBC Newsnight, Prince Andrew denied Giuffre's claims. "It didn't happen. I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened," he told journalist Emily Maitlis. "I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever."

What allegations did Virginia Giuffre make against Prince Andrew? 

Virginia Giuffre alleged in 2015 that she was forced by Maxwell to have sex with Prince Andrew, who she claimed is "an abuser" and "participant", three separate times when she was underage. The assaults allegedly took place in New York, London and the Virgin Islands. Maxwell and Prince Andrew have denied these allegations. 

What has Virginia Giuffre done to help survivors? 

Giuffre, who today lives in Australia with her husband and three children, now runs an anti-trafficking group called Victims Refuse Silence. In a statement released on Monday (9 August), she explained her reasons for suing Prince Andrew under the Child Victims Act. "As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him," Giuffre said. 

“I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. The powerful and 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 to reclaim one’s 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—and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates—but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down.”