What are the allegations against Prince Andrew?

Prince Andrew has now been stripped of his royal and military titles, as per a statement from Buckingham Palace. The decision comes against the backdrop of the civil suit he faces in the US, for sexually abusing a woman when she was 17. 

Now, without his ranks and titles, Andrew will be defending the case as a private citizen. 

What are the accusations Prince Andrew is facing? 

Andrew has been accused of sexual abuse by Virginia Giuffre, who stated in court documents that she’s the victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking as well as abuse, from the age of 16. 

She alleged that part of the abuse included being given to powerful men, like Prince Andrew. Giuffre further said that the former duke sexually assaulted her on three different occasions, when she was 17. 

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The first time was in London in 2001, when she was introduced to the member of the Royal Family by Epstein and the now-convicted Ghislaine Maxwell, who was his girlfriend at the time. Maxwell had told her to do for Andrew what she did for Epstein. 

Giuffre had then had sex with Andrew at Maxwell’s house in Belgravia. She alleged two other occasions when Andrew abused her. Once was in Epstein’s New York mansion, and the other was on Little St James, Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands. 

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In the court documents, Giuffre stated that she was explicitly or implicitly forced into these acts, fearing the collective clout of Epstein, Maxwell, and Andrew, who wielded immense wealth, authority, and powerful connections among them. Giuffre has stated that the then-duke was aware of her age and the fact that she was a victim of sex trafficking. 

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Andrew recently tried to have the case dismissed, but the judge ruled that it shall go on. As is, the case will appear in Manhattan federal court later this year. Andrew hasn’t been criminally charged yet, and his lawyers maintain that Andrew has unequivocally denied the allegations against him.