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Prince Andrew attacks Virginia Roberts Giuffre in court papers
Prince Andrew has launched what is likely to prove a deeply controversial attack on Virginia Roberts Giuffre, accusing her of trying to procure “slutty girls” for Jeffrey Epstein.
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In court papers filed on Friday, the Sunday Times reports, Andrew attempted to turn the tables on Giuffre, who accuses him of rape, saying that she was involved in the “willful recruitment and trafficking of young girls for sexual abuse.”
A sister of one of Giuffre’s former boyfriends is quoted by Andrew’s team as saying of Giuffre: “She would say to me, ‘Do you know any girls who are kind of slutty?’”
The court filing continues: “It is a striking feature of this case that while lurid allegations are made against Prince Andrew by Giuffre, the only party to this claim whose conduct has involved the willful recruitment and trafficking of young girls for sexual abuse is Giuffre herself, including while she was an adult.”
The Daily Beast reported Saturday that Andrew’s filing seeks to paint Giuffre as a money-chaser, saying: “Most people could only dream of obtaining the sums of money that Giuffre has secured for herself over the years.”
Andrew’s tactics provoked accusations of victim shaming on social media. Feminist author Joan Smith told the Daily Mail: “The Duke of York seems to be living in the 1950s when abused women were often described as gold diggers. Accusing a known victim of sexual exploitation of being motivated by money is about as low as you can get. It is victim shaming and further evidence of his appalling judgment. Andrew is just dragging his reputation further into the gutter.”
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied any recollection of ever meeting Roberts Giuffre, despite a widely circulated photograph of his arm encircling her bare midriff, allegedly taken when she was 17, at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London flat. Andrew has strongly hinted that the photograph is fake. Giuffre accuses him of raping her three times and says she was trafficked by Epstein to London, New York and the Virgin Islands to have sex with Andrew.
"BUILTH WELLS, WALES - JULY 04: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall look at each other as they reopen the newly-renovated Edwardian community hall The Strand Hall during day three of a visit to Wales on July 4, 2018 in Builth Wells, Wales.
Chris Jackson/Getty ImagesCamilla ‘merciless’ in her mission to force Charles aide out
Michael Fawcett’s days as Prince Charles’ most trusted aide could be numbered if Camilla Parker Bowles has her way. She sees his actions are “damaging” Charles. “She will be merciless in her pursuit of Michael out of the door,” one source told the Sunday Times.
As the paper previously reported, Fawcett “helped fix a CBE for a Saudi tycoon who donated £1.5 million to royal charities. He also accepted a six-figure donation from a controversial Russian businessman whom Charles later thanked and offered to meet.” Now Fawcett, who temporarily stepped down from the role after the scandal broke, faces being fired as chief executive of the Prince’s Foundation.
An inquiry into the allegations was set up, but sources tell the Sunday Times Fawcett should not expect his employment to continue.
“She has said it is time to draw the line,” an insider said of Camilla. “This is the end of the road for Michael.”
Another source said: “The duchess is not keen on having anyone else in the prince’s ear. She is, as far as she is concerned, the only person who should be able to convince the prince of anything. She has definitely become more and more opinionated about how she disliked [Fawcett] over time. She has made it plain she didn’t want him around.”
Fawcett is one of Charles’ longest and most trusted aides.
In a letter published in September by the paper, Fawcett said he would obtain an honor for Saudi businessman Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz and help his application for British citizenship in return for donations of more than £1.5 million ($2.1 million) to Charles’ Scottish charities.
In the letter, reportedly sent in 2017 when Fawcett was chief executive of Charles’ Scottish charity, Dumfries House Trust, which manages the Dumfries House estate, Fawcett wrote to an aide of bin Mahfouz, “In light of the ongoing and most recent generosity of His Excellency... I am happy to confirm to you, in confidence, that we are willing and happy to support and contribute to the application for Citizenship. I can further confirm that we are willing to make [an] application to increase His Excellency’s honor from Honorary CBE to that of KBE in accordance with Her Majesty’s Honors Committee.”
Thus far, Charles’ office has denied he had any knowledge of what is alleged, saying in a statement, “The Prince of Wales has no knowledge of the alleged offer of honors or British citizenship on the basis of donation to his charities, and fully supports the independent investigation now under way by the Prince’s Foundation.”
The Mail, meanwhile, adds that Camilla could take on “a significantly greater role” in public life to help reduce strain on the queen in the wake of her health crisis.
Not oneself quite yet
As The Daily Beast previously reported, the queen has set herself a deadline to recover from her mystery health condition, with her office saying that while she has agreed to rest for two weeks on doctor’s orders, she fully intends to be back on public duties in time for the annual veteran’s tribute of Remembrance Sunday, which falls on 14 November.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “Following on from their recent advice that the Queen should rest for a few days, Her Majesty’s doctors have advised that she should continue to rest for at least the next two weeks.
“The doctors have advised that Her Majesty can continue to undertake light, desk-based duties during this time, including some virtual audiences, but not to undertake any official visits.
“Her Majesty regrets that this means she will be unable to attend the Festival of Remembrance on Saturday 13 November. However, it remains her firm intention to be present for the national service of remembrance on Remembrance Sunday, on 14 November.”
Jab the world
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are encouraging their followers to sign an open letter they have penned to G20 leaders, urging them to send Covid-19 vaccines to low-income states. The letter, signed by an array of leading global public health leaders, including Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the WHO and Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance which is spearheading the global vaccination initiative, says that “among countries represented at the G20, there are a handful with millions of surplus vaccines that are destined to be wasted once they expire...Every discarded dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, when there are the mechanisms to donate them, should outrage us all. Each dose represents a real person—a mother, father, daughter, or son—who could have been protected.”
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex visit a local farming family, the Woodleys, on October 17, 2018 in Dubbo, Australia.
Chris Jackson - Pool/Getty ImagesThe letter said that the Covax initiative for global vaccination had only received a tiny 11.5% of 1.3bn doses which rich countries have pledged.
“We can’t simply hope for the pandemic to end on its own. As the virus progresses through unvaccinated populations, we risk new and more deadly strains sweeping the planet,” the letter, also signed by Chelsea Clinton, said.
In a separate note on their website, the couple said: “Access to the vaccine is a fundamental human right. As several nations still lack shots for their own healthcare workers, let alone everybody else, the world is left asking: Where are the doses?”
This week in royal history
Oh Princess Margaret… on October 31, 1955, the queen’s younger sister announced she would not marry divorcé Captain Peter Townsend. In a statement read on the BBC, she wrote: “I would like it to be known that I have decided not to marry Group Captain Peter Townsend. I have been aware that, subject to my renouncing my rights of succession, it might have been possible for me to contract a civil marriage. But, mindful of the Church’s teaching that Christian marriage is indissoluble, and conscious of my duty to the Commonwealth, I have resolved to put these considerations before any others. I have reached this decision entirely alone, and in doing so I have been strengthened by the unfailing support and devotion of Group Captain Townsend.”
Unanswered questions
Just how ill or well is the queen? Will she really make it to the Remembrance Day service she is so determined to go to? Is it rather rash to set expectations like this?
