Virginia is suing him in a civil case in a New York court. The court’s records show that the paperwork was received on August 27 by a police officer at Andrew’s home of Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate. Andrew has until September 17 to respond. Right now, the response from the Duke of York’s spokesperson is “no comment.” Prince Andrew denies the allegations. Virginia’s lawyers claim that attempts were made to serve Andrew in person, but the prince’s head of security refused access to the royal. The process server working for Virginia’s legal team was that he could leave the papers with a police officer at the gates of Royal Lodge, who would forward them to Andrew’s lawyers. Last month, a source close to Prince Charlestold the Times of London that the future monarch says that the sexual abuse allegations against his brother are an “unsolvable problem.” Virginia Giuffre’s claim, which allege that the Duke of York sexually abused her when she was a minor at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell in London, is said to have strengthened Charles’ belief that “a way back” to public life for Andrew is “demonstrably not possible.” Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is currently awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. Virginia Giuffre alleges that she was “lent out for sexual purposes” by Epstein in both the UK and the US when she was under the age of consent. Andrew is the only named defendant in her suit. Prince Andrew announced that he was stepping back from royal duties back in November 2019 following a disastrous BBC interview in which he said he did not regret the business “opportunities” that his friendship with Epstein had brought him. He said that he could not recall ever meeting Virginia Giuffre. In a statement to People, Giuffre said, “As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to [Andrew] and sexually abused by him.” She went on, “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.” Next up, Prince Harry and Prince William Come Together to Pay Tribute to Prince Philip in New BBC Documentary
