The posthumous memoirs of American Virginia Giuffre, the main accuser of Prince Andrew in the Epstein case, went on sale Tuesday, increasing pressure on the disgraced brother of King Charles.
In Nobody’s Girl, Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, recounts in detail being exploited as a sex slave by the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including being forced into sexual encounters with Andrew three times, at least twice when she was 17.
The book quickly became a bestseller on the UK Amazon site.
Following the release of initial excerpts in the British press, Andrew announced on Friday that he would relinquish his Duke of York title under pressure from his brother, King Charles III. MPs are calling for his titles to be formally stripped. The 65-year-old prince has been sidelined from the royal family since 2019 due to his ties with Epstein.
A Buckingham Palace source described the new allegations as “extremely concerning” and said they must be “properly investigated.”
“Victory”
Virginia Giuffre would see Andrew’s renunciation of his titles as a “victory,” said Amy Wallace, her ghostwriter, who believes the prince should now make himself available to U.S. authorities.
Andrew avoided a New York trial by paying millions to Virginia Giuffre, who had filed a lawsuit against him in 2021. He has always denied the allegations.
“He saw everything that happened. If he really cares about this case, he could share this information with investigators, say ‘here’s what happened,’” Wallace said Tuesday on Times Radio.
U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions, on the House oversight committee investigating Epstein, echoed this view: “It would be interesting to know what he knew, what he saw,” he said Tuesday on BBC Radio 4.
In her memoirs, Giuffre recounts being handed over to a “multitude of powerful men” for sex, anonymizing several of them. She describes an extremely violent encounter with someone she calls “a former minister” without naming him.
Regarding Andrew, she claims he tried to tarnish her reputation. London police are investigating press reports that Andrew had an officer gather information to discredit Giuffre.
Already embroiled in a Chinese espionage case, Andrew continues to be an embarrassment to his family. The book’s publication coincides with the eve of a two-day state visit to the Vatican by King Charles and his wife Camilla.
Royal Lodge
The developments also highlight Andrew’s lifestyle and finances: the Times reports Tuesday that the prince, living in the 30-room Royal Lodge, has not paid rent since 2003, though the lease runs until 2078.
This property, on the Windsor estate, is part of the Crown Estate, which manages royal assets on behalf of British taxpayers.
Andrew reportedly paid £1 million (€1.1 million) for the lease and spent over £7.5 million (€8.6 million) on renovations. Since then, the rent has been nominal, according to the lease obtained by the newspaper.
The Times questions the prince’s sources of income, as he was stripped by King Charles III of an annual allowance exceeding £1 million (€1.2 million), while his security costs, no longer covered by the king, are estimated at £3 million (€3.6 million) per year.
The British press recently reported that King Charles had tried to persuade his brother to exchange the property for a smaller residence on the estate, unsuccessfully.
Meanwhile, the royal family website has updated Prince Andrew’s status, removing his Duke of York title.
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