Virginia Giuffre's Posthumous Memoir Exposes Prince Andrew's Connection to Epstein Scandal

Prince Andrew reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 for an undisclosed sum. (File)

London:

The British royal family faces renewed scrutiny as Virginia Giuffre's posthumous memoir "Nobody's Girl" arrives in bookstores Tuesday, six months after her suicide in April.

Giuffre had consistently accused Prince Andrew of sexually abusing her multiple times when she was under 18 and being trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.

While not revealing new allegations, the memoir has intensified recent accusations against Andrew, who continues trying to mitigate damage to the monarchy stemming from his relationship with Epstein.

The 65-year-old prince announced last week he would cease using his titles, including Duke of York, though he "vigorously" denies Giuffre's allegations.

Her memoir, which reached Amazon's #1 bestseller position before publication, details her first meeting with Andrew in March 2001 and claims the royal's staff attempted to hire "internet trolls" to harass her after she filed legal action.

Giuffre alleged she was recruited at age 16 by Epstein and Maxwell, who introduced her to Andrew in London when she was 17, and was subsequently forced into sexual encounters with him on three separate occasions.

She recounts Maxwell waking her on the day she met Andrew, saying it would be a "special day" and that "just like Cinderella" she would meet "a handsome prince."

According to Giuffre, when they met, Andrew mentioned "my daughters are just a little younger than you." She writes that Maxwell instructed her to "do for him what you do for Jeffrey," adding: "I knew better than to question her orders." She claims Epstein later gave her $15,000 for having sex with Andrew.

Giuffre describes additional sexual encounters with the prince at Epstein's New York residence approximately a month later, and a third time on Epstein's Caribbean private island alongside "about eight other girls" who she claimed appeared underage.

These allegations were previously outlined in Giuffre's 2021 New York lawsuit, which Andrew settled out of court in 2022 for an undisclosed amount. While not admitting wrongdoing, Andrew acknowledged Giuffre's suffering as a trafficking victim and agreed to donate to her charity.

Regarding the settlement, Giuffre wrote: "After casting doubt on my credibility for so long - Prince Andrew's team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me - the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well."

"We would never get a confession, of course. That's what settlements are designed to avoid," she added. "But we were trying for the next best thing: a general acknowledgment of what I'd been through."

Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II's second son, stepped down from public duties and charity roles in 2019 after a disastrous BBC interview intended to address his relationship with Epstein.

In that widely criticized interview, Andrew offered implausible explanations for maintaining his relationship with Epstein. He denied any sexual contact with Giuffre, claimed he had "no recollection" of meeting her, and had "absolutely no memory" of the infamous photograph showing them together with his arm around her waist in 2001.

Andrew stated during the interview that he had terminated contact with Epstein in December 2010.

Last week, British media published an email allegedly showing Andrew maintained contact with Epstein beyond his claimed cutoff date. The February 28, 2011 message reportedly shows Andrew stating they were "in this together" and would "have to rise above it."

Additionally, London's Metropolitan Police confirmed they are investigating a Mail on Sunday report that Andrew in 2011 asked a police bodyguard to determine if Giuffre had any criminal history.

Buckingham Palace and the UK government face mounting pressure to formally revoke Andrew's dukedom and princely title, and remove him from his 30-room mansion near Windsor Castle.

Amy Wallace, the memoir's ghostwriter, suggested Andrew should agree to testify in the US regarding his knowledge of Epstein's crimes.

Wallace told the BBC that Giuffre "deserves all credit for whatever role she played in forcing Prince Andrew to relinquish a few more of his titles. But she deserves all credit even more than that for being brave enough to stand up to say, 'This isn't right.'"