Giuffre family thanks police for former Prince Andrew

He Virginia Giuffre’s familywho alleged that she was trafficked to have sexual relations with former prince andrew as a teenager, thanked British police on Thursday after his arrest for suspected misconduct in public office.

“Finally, today, our broken hearts have been eased by the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,” Giuffre’s siblings said in a statement shared with News themezone.

“On behalf of our sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our thanks to UK Thames Valley Police for their investigation and arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,” said Sky, Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson. “He was never a prince. To survivors around the world, Virginia did this for you.”

Giuffre, an American who was one of the most outspoken accusers of the late convicted sex offender. Jeffrey Epstein, died by suicide last year at 41 years old. She accused Mountbatten-Windsor, former Prince Andrew, of assaulting her on three separate occasions when she was 17, which he has denied.

Giuffre said in a lawsuit filed in New York in 2021 that the assault was made possible by Epstein, who she claimed trafficked her to Mountabatten-Windsor.

Mountabatten-Windsor denied her accusations but reached a settlement agree with her in 2022paying him around $16 million, according to British media reports.

Thames Valley Police in the UK confirmed earlier this month that it was assessing claims against Mountbatten-Windsor that arose in the latest release of Epstein files by the US Department of Justice to determine whether a formal investigation was warranted. Police said Thursday they arrested “a man in his sixties from Norfolk” as part of the investigation and “on suspicion of misconduct in public office.” They said they were looking at properties in Berkshire and Norfolk.

Andrew’s arrest came about two weeks after an anti-royal organization asked the police to investigate documents indicating he shared confidential government information with Epstein when the royal worked as a British trade envoy. King Charles III, brother of Mountabatten-Windsor, had indicated that the British royal family would cooperate if the police came to ask questions about his younger brother.

“This is truly a monumental moment in the Epstein survivor’s relentless pursuit of justice,” Sigrid McCawley, an attorney who represented Giuffre, said in a statement Thursday.

“Virginia Guiffre worked for years to shed light on the crimes committed by Epstein and his co-conspirators and to send the message that no one should be above the law and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor today is a step toward that accountability,” McCawley said.

Giuffre shared her story in her posthumously published memoir, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice.”