Virginia Giuffre’s family celebrate Andrew’s ‘prince’ title being stripped
The family of the late Virginia Giuffre, who accused Prince Andrew of sexual harassment, celebrated her being stripped of the title of ‘prince’ as a victory “unprecedented in history”.
Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts tearfully told BBC Newsnight: “This normal girl from a normal family brought down a prince. We’re so proud of her.”
But Mr Roberts told the BBC that removing his name was “not enough” and called for an investigation into Andrew, adding that he “should be behind bars”. Andrew has denied all allegations against him.
Giuffre committed suicide earlier this year. The posthumous publication of his memoirs this month intensified pressure on the Royal Family over Andrew’s friendship with pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday He said King Charles III had begun a formal process to “remove the title, titles and dignity” of Prince Andrew, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
When asked how Giuffre might have reacted to the decision, her brother said: “She’s celebrating from heaven right now, saying, ‘I did it.'”
“He’d be so proud. That’s just Andrew.”
Giuffre, a leading accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, claimed in her memoir that Andrew had sex with her three times in her youth and that “he believed it was his birthright to have sex with me.”
Andrew, who denied the allegations, reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022 that included no admissions of liability or apology.
“This is a really important moment for her and for the survivors,” Giuffre’s sister-in-law, Amanda Roberts, said.
“Everything he fought for wasn’t in vain,” he added, noting that he was “devastated” when he heard the news at work.
While the duo celebrated what he called a “victory” moment, Giuffre’s brother emphasized that this was “not enough.”
“We need to do some kind of investigation that will go deeper into this matter,” he said.
“[Andrew is] I’m still walking around a free man. He needs to be behind bars.”
Earlier this month, Andrew voluntarily gave up several royal titles, including Duke of York, and said: “We have concluded that the ongoing allegations against me distract from the work of Her Majesty and the Royal Family.”
The King’s decision to strip Andrew of his ‘prince’ title comes after 2011 emails emerged this month showing Andrew continuing to communicate with Epstein despite claims to the contrary.
Giuffre’s family also touched on the consequences of the King’s decision for the United States, where calls have increased for the release of documents related to Epstein. Partial records have been released that Andrew was named as a passenger on a flight with Epstein.
“The U.S. government holds the key to the broader context of the Jeffrey Epstein case,” Mr. Roberts said.
“The United Kingdom is setting an example of what the United States should be doing now.”
“There are so many more of them, I promise you.”
