“I’m holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me,” she stated. “The highly effective and wealthy will not be exempt from being held accountable for their actions. I hope that different victims will see that it’s attainable to not dwell in silence and concern, however to reclaim one’s life by talking out and demanding justice.
“I didn’t come to this determination flippantly,” she added. “As a mom and a spouse, my household comes first — and I do know that this motion will topic me to additional assaults by Prince Andrew and his surrogates — however I knew if I didn’t pursue this motion, I’d be letting them and victims in every single place down.”
In late 2019, Prince Andrew informed BBC Newsnight that he by no means had intercourse with Giuffre, saying, “It didn’t occur.”
He stated he has “no recollection” of ever assembly her and informed an interviewer there are “numerous issues which are mistaken” about Giuffre’s account, which alleges the encounter occurred in 2001.
“I can completely categorically let you know it by no means occurred,” Andrew stated.
In keeping with the lawsuit, the prince abused Giuffre on a number of events when she was below the age of 18.
It stated that on one event, the prince sexually abused her in London on the dwelling of Ghislaine Maxwell when Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew compelled her to have sexual activity with the prince in opposition to her will.
On one other event, Prince Andrew sexually abused the plaintiff in Epstein’s New York mansion, the lawsuit stated.
Maxwell, 59, has pleaded not responsible to intercourse trafficking costs in Manhattan federal court docket, the place she faces trial in November.
Epstein, 66, took his personal life in a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019, a month after he was arrested on intercourse trafficking costs.