According to court records that were released in New York City on Tuesday, Virginia Giuffre said that she was given thousands of dollars by Jeffery Epstein, a convicted sexual offender, in order to have sexual relations with Prince Andrew.
Giuffre made the claim at a deposition that was filmed in January 2016 and held in a court in Florida. The deposition was part of a case that was filed against Alan Dershowitz, who had formerly taught law at Harvard. She participated in the action that was brought against Dershowitz, Epstein’s former counsel, by her attorneys Bradley J. Edwards and Paul G. Cassell. She did so in the capacity of a non-party.
Giuffre was questioned in court records that were acquired by PEOPLE. The documents inquired whether or whether she was “paid 10 to $15,000 by or on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein for having sex with Prince Andrew…” is a period of time often referred to as 2011.
Yes, I did get fifteen thousand dollars. I have no idea what it would be comparable to in terms of pounds. “I received it in American dollars,” she said, alluding to the disparity between the currency used in the United Kingdom and the United States.
They then questioned Giuffre whether she had paid taxes on the money, and she responded that she had not.
A number of times, Prince Andrew has denied any misconduct taking place.
Although she is now 40 years old, Giuffre has said in the past that her first encounter with Prince Andrew took place at Ghislaine Maxwell’s residence in London when she was 17 years old. While Maxwell is presently serving a term of twenty years in federal prison for her participation in sex trafficking girls with Epstein, she has rejected the claims that have been made against her alongside Epstein. 2019 was the year when the disgraced financier passed away while awaiting trial on federal conspiracy and sex trafficking accusations.
Giuffre had previously said that she was coerced into having sexual relations with the Duke of York on three separate occasions between the years 1999 and 2002. These encounters took place in London, New York, and on a private Caribbean island that was owned by Epstein. Regarding the payment of fifteen thousand dollars, it was not quite obvious which occasion she was referring to.
She said in another part of the statement that she had a visit to Club Tramp with Prince Andrew, during which he ordered them “clear drinks” from the bar and stated that her drink included alcohol. The date of this visit was not specified. As reported by The Telegraph, the hub is a club in London that is exclusive to its members.
According to the Associated Press, Giuffre’s deposition is included in the last batch of papers that have been made public in connection with a defamation case that she brought against Maxwell in 2015. The lawsuit was resolved in 2017. The data were ordered to be released on December 18, 2023, and the distribution of the documents started the previous week. According to the Associated Press, the materials “did not contain the explosive revelations or new identities of abusers that some had predicted.”
After Prince Andrew’s bombshell interview with the BBC in 2019 about his ties to convicted sex offender Epstein, he resigned from his role as a member of the royal family. In January 2022, his mother, Queen Elizabeth, stripped him of his military titles and patronages. This occurred after Giuffre filed a civil sexual assault lawsuit against him. In February of 2022, he reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre for a sum that was not revealed.
After being identified in the court files that were related to Epstein and were released last week, there has been an increase in the number of requests for an inquiry against King Charles’ younger brother. However, British police have said that there are currently no plans to conduct an investigation. On Friday of last week, the Metropolitan Police Department issued a statement that said, “We are aware of the release of court documents in relation to Jeffrey Epstein.” In the event that fresh and pertinent material is brought to our notice, we will evaluate it, just as we would with any other situation. It has been reported by Sky News that there has been no inquiry initiated.
Although Prince Andrew, who is 63 years old, has claimed in the past that he knew Epstein, he has denied any wrongdoing.
As part of an interview that took place in 2019, the Duke of York said that he had “no recollection of ever meeting” Giuffre. This statement was made throughout the course of the interview. Emily Maitlis, a journalist, brought up the matter of an image that showed the king with his arm around Giuffre’s waist. In response, he said, “I have absolutely no memory of that photograph ever being taken.”
Soon after the interview, Prince Andrew made the announcement that he would be “stepping back from public duties.” According to Variety, the interview served as the impetus for the forthcoming feature Scoop on Netflix as well as the short series A Very Royal Scandal on Amazon.
“It has become clear to me over the last few days that the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffrey Epstein has become a major disruption to the work that my family is doing and the valuable work that is going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support,” he said in the statement that he issued at the time. In light of this, I have approached Her Majesty with a request to release me from my public responsibilities for the foreseeable future, and she has granted me permission to do so.
“I continue to clearly regret my involvement with Jeffrey Epstein at a time when I was making poor decisions. There are a lot of issues that have been left unanswered as a result of his suicide, especially for the people who were impacted by it. I really feel sorry for everyone who has been affected by it and wants some kind of resolution. I can only hold out hope that they will be able to reconstruct their life at some point in the future. In the event that it is necessary, I would be more than happy to assist any law enforcement agency that is deemed suitable with their investigations.
Prince Andrew has maintained his position as the Duke of York and his position in the line of succession to the monarchy, which is now ninth after the two children that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have. It is important to note that he does not use the term “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity anymore.
The Christmas service that takes place at Sandringham on December 25th, 2023 is attended by Prince Andrew.
Wikimedia Commons/Samir Hussein
Recently, Charles went out for the traditional Christmas Day church service that the royal family attends at St. Mary Magdalene, which is located close to Sandringham House in Norfolk. While there, he questioned a group of well-wishers why they were recording and gave them the advice that they should experience what it is like to be on “this side.” The unpleasant chat that Prince Andrew had with the Daily Mail was recorded on camera in the tape that was acquired by the Daily Mail.