Virginia Giuffre’s family say Prince Andrew bombshell proves one thing | Royal | News
Virginia Giuffre’s family has questioned the motives behind recent claims that Prince Andrew asked his personal security guard to dig up dirt on her abuser. The royal, who last Friday renounced royal titles and honors to avoid “distracting” the public from the work of the King and the Royal Family in the wake of the latest bombs, found himself dragged further into the Jeffrey Epstein controversy after reports claimed he was trying to get the Metropolitan Police to dig up ground for a smear campaign against Ms Giuffre.
Police said they were investigating the allegations after the Mail on Sunday newspaper claimed Andrew passed Ms Giuffre’s date of birth and social security number to his taxpayer-funded bodyguard in 2011 and asked him to investigate. Meanwhile, a Buckingham Palace source said the latest allegations were “very serious and seriously concerning” and needed to be “appropriately examined”.
Now Ms Giuffre’s brother and sister-in-law, Sky and Amanda Roberts, have called on the police watchdog to reconsider the Metropolitan Police’s decision not to proceed with investigations into the allegations against Prince Andrew.
In an interview with Channel 4 News, Ms Roberts also questioned why the prince asked his personal security guard to dig up dirt on Ms Giuffre, claiming it could have only happened for one reason or another.
He said: “If you’re not guilty why do you have to go so far?”
Mr Roberts also criticized the UK and US governments for their inaction, calling it “one of the greatest international cover-ups in the history of the world”.
They called on the Met Police to reopen an investigation into Ms Giuffre’s claim that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew when she was 17; He has vehemently denied this claim to this day.
And they said they felt that if London police did not act, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) should review the decision.
Speaking on Channel 4’s podcast The Fourcast, Mr Roberts said his sister constantly asks the question: “What will it take for people to finally believe me?”
He added: “Being constantly gaslighted by the UK Government, the UK Metropolitan Police and the US government was nothing short of a kick in the gut.”
When presenter Jackie Long asked whether the matter should be referred to the police watchdog, Mr Roberts’ wife Amanda replied: “Absolutely.”
Mr Roberts added that he would not stop campaigning until “justice is served”.
He said: “We won’t stop until justice is served because, I mean, he protected me when I was a kid and he protects your daughters. He loved my sister and I, so I hope he’s proud of me too.”
The IOPC has not commented on the case but a spokesman explained that its role is to investigate referrals if a complaint is made to a police force that meets the appropriate criteria.
In a statement to Channel 4 News, the Metropolitan Police said: “Our thoughts are with Ms Giuffre’s family and friends following her death.
“In 2015, we became aware of recent allegations of human trafficking for sexual exploitation.
“This relates to incidents outside the UK and an allegation of human trafficking in central London in March 2001.
“Officers assessed the available evidence, interviewed the complainant, liaised with other law enforcement agencies carrying out investigations into these matters and received early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service.
“Following legal advice, it was clear that any investigation into human trafficking would focus largely on activities and relationships outside the UK.
“Officers therefore concluded that the Met was not the appropriate authority to conduct an investigation in the circumstances and in November 2016 it was decided that this matter would not proceed to a full criminal investigation.
“This decision was reviewed in August 2019. In November 2019, the Met confirmed that the decision would not change.”
The interview will be broadcast on the Channel 4 News YouTube channel and will be shown on Channel 4 News on Tuesday.
