Virginia Giuffre, who is also one of the people who accused convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, slammed a lawsuit on Duke of York Prince Andrew, according to US media reports. Giuffre accused the British royal of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 years old.

The lawsuit, which has reportedly been filed under the Child Victims Act, was put in by Giuffre’s legal representation in a court of law of New York City’s Manhattan.

Giuffre, who is now 38 years old, said in a statement, “I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me”, according to reports from news agency Associated Press.

She added, “The powerful and rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions. I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear, but to reclaim one’s life by speaking out and demanding justice.”

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Giuffre emphasised the possibility of “further attacks” by Prince Andrew and his “surrogates” and explained that she did not easily come to this decision.

Her statement further added, “I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down”, according to reports from Associated Press.

In an interview with BBC about two years ago, the Duke of York denied having a sexual relationship with Giuffre, saying that “it did not happen.”

“I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened,” Andrew said.

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According to the lawsuit, which sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, the prince abused Giuffre on multiple occasions when she was under the age of 18.

The federal lawsuit filed in the United States alleged that Prince Andrew sexually abused Giuffre multiple times when she was under the age of 18. Associated Press reported that the lawsuit sought unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.