Epstein accusers say Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest shows that ‘power can be toppled’
One of the first women to accuse late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein of sexually assaulting her and her younger sister said she was thrilled by the news that the man formerly known as Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his royal titles last year due to his long-standing ties to the notorious predator, was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of abuse of public office.
“I feel very happy,” said Maria Farmer, 56, an Epstein survivor. Independent. “… I think this will change a lot for everyone. It proves that power can be overthrown.”
Farmer said she received a call at 4 a.m. from a close confidant of Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s prominent victims, who claimed she had forced her to have sex with the then-prince, now simply Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, when she was 17.
Giuffre died by suicide last April at the age of 41.
“This was Virginia’s fight,” Farmer said of Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest. “The fact that Virginia is doing this from the ether feels like it’s all hers. She’s still working on it.”
Mountbatten-Windsor has denied having sex with Giuffre. In 2022, he paid an undisclosed amount to settle a lawsuit filed by Giuffre accusing him of raping her three times as part of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring.
Police have not released exact details of what led to Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest after the Department of Justice recently released a new tranche of emails from the so-called Epstein files. About 10 days ago, Thames Valley Police said investigators were looking into allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor shared sensitive information with Epstein while serving as Britain’s trade envoy.
Farmer stated that Mountbatten-Windsor turned 66 on the day of her arrest and said, “I was truly shocked that something so amazing could happen.” “And to think that this was his birthday gift to us. Pretty impressive.”
Farmer was 20 years old when she was attacked by Epstein; his sister Annie was 16 years old. In a statement released through his lawyer, Farmer said he hoped “all the dominoes of power and corruption” would be eliminated. [would now] We’re starting to fall.”
Like Farmer, Marijke Chartouni, who was also 20 when Epstein attacked her at his New York City mansion in 2000, hopes Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest will lead to greater accountability.
“He now has to face the consequences, which could send a message to everyone that this could have consequences,” Chartouni said. Independent.
Danielle Bensky was 17 when she was brought into Epstein’s world. She said that although Andrew’s arrest was not directly linked to the abuse charges, for the survivors it was “a glimmer of light in a really dark place.”
Bensky was present at the U.S. Capitol during Attorney General Pam Bondi’s final hearing on the Epstein files; President Trump’s attorney general refused to acknowledge the presence of multiple victims sitting in the gallery behind him. He said the ongoing push for justice is “a never-ending rollercoaster.”
Authorities from England to France to Norway have launched investigations in light of newly revealed information in the Epstein files.
But since the 2021 conviction of Epstein’s co-wife, Ghislaine Maxwell, for child sex trafficking, the U.S. Department of Justice has made no further arrests of enablers and abusers in Epstein’s orbit. And earlier this month, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who previously served as President Trump’s personal lawyer, said the feds would not bring any new charges related to Epstein.
“There’s ricocheting all over the world, but there’s nothing here,” Bensky said. “… It’s like every other country in the world is saying this is problematic and they’re investigating and investigating and we’re saying, ‘No, there’s nothing to see here.’”
David Boies, an attorney who represents Giuffre and several other Epstein victims, likened Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest to the 1931 indictment of legendary mobster Al Capone, who was charged not with murder or extortion but with failure to pay federal income taxes.
“There is a certain sense of satisfaction and justice, but it also reflects the failure of the justice system to hold him and others accountable for their most significant crimes,” Boies said. Independent.
If it stopped there, he said, it would be nothing more than a “flawed solution.”
“It is time for prosecutors in the United States to seriously investigate the crimes of those who aided, facilitated and participated in Epstein’s activities in this country.”
As for Giuffre’s family, her siblings issued a statement to the media on Thursday, expressing gratitude to British law enforcement while criticizing Mountbatten-Windsor.
“He was never a prince,” they said. “For survivors everywhere, Virginia has done this for you.”
It’s hardly surprising that Maxwell’s loved ones see the situation quite differently from others.
In an emailed comment Thursday afternoon, Maxwell’s brother Ian said: Independent he “[a]I was stunned to see Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested today for alleged misconduct in public office in connection with material in the so-called Epstein ‘Files’.
“She is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair process, which my sister Ghislaine never had,” Maxwell argued. “We need transparency, evidence and the same rules for everyone, not judgment by the media and political interests.”
Mountbatten-Windsor’s brother, King Charles III, expressed his “deep concern” about the arrest, saying: “What will now follow is the full, fair and proper process in which this matter will be investigated appropriately and by the appropriate authorities.”
Neither the King nor Buckingham Palace were reportedly informed in advance of Mountbatten-Windsor’s impending arrest.
