PRINCE Andrew was thrust back in the spotlight after Jeffrey Epstein-accuser Virginia Giuffre announced she was starting legal action against him for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
But the Duke of York, 61, has always denied any allegations that he had sexual contact with Ms Giuffre or that he had any knowledge of wrong doing committed by his former associate, the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
What has Prince Andrew been accused of?
Virginia Roberts — who now uses her married name Giuffre — launched a legal battle against Prince Andrew on August 10, 2021, accusing him of sexually abusing her at Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion.
She said it was "past the time for him to be held to account" for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
But Prince Andrew has previously strenuously denied her claim he had sex with her.
Lawyers for Ms Giuffre filed the civil suit seeking unspecified damages at a federal court in New York, where the court documents claim she was "lent out for sexual purposes" by convicted sex offender Epstein including while she was still a minor under US law.
Andrew is named as the only defendant in the 15-page suit, brought under New York state's Child Victims Act, though Epstein and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell are mentioned frequently throughout.
Ms Giuffre's lawsuit stated: "In this country no person, whether president or prince, is above the law, and no person, no matter how powerless or vulnerable, can be deprived of the law's protection.
"Twenty years ago Prince Andrew's wealth, power, position, and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her. It is long past the time for him to be held to account.
It is alleged in the documents Ms Giuffre, then known as Virginia Roberts, was sexually abused while aged under 18 by the Queen's second son at Maxwell's home in London, at Epstein's New York mansion and at other locations including Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.
It is also alleged the duke engaged in the sexual acts without Ms Giuffre's consent, while aware of her age and while "knowing that she was a sex-trafficking victim".
The documents claim the alleged assaults "have caused, and continue to cause her, significant emotional and psychological distress and harm".
How is Prince Andrew linked to Jeffrey Epstein?
The Duke of York said he first met Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire financier, in 1999 with the now dead banker once describing him as his "best friend."
That was also the year the UK press reported on the pair's friendship.
The pair are thought to have flown together on Epstein's private jet to the US Virgin Islands.
And in June 2000, Epstein and his Brit "madam" ex, Maxwell were both guests at a party hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle.
Prince Andrew also became close with Maxwell – pictured together that same year at a Halloween party hosted by Heidi Klum in New York.
Just over a month later, in December 2000, the then 40-year-old prince, threw Ms Maxwell a surprise birthday party at Sandringham, with Epstein among the guests.
What did the Newsnight interview reveal?
In Prince Andrew's Newsnight interview with the BBC's Emily Maitlis in November 2019, he denied claims that he slept with Ms Giuffre on three separate occasions.
He said: "I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever."
The duke also said he has no memory of a well-known photograph of him with his arm around Ms Giuffre's waist at Maxwell's house, and has questioned whether it was his own hand in the image.
He did say that he regrets visiting the sex offender in New York in December 2010 and said he went to end his friendship – when the infamous photo was snapped.
But added that he only went on the visit to tell Epstein that the pair could no longer stay in contact and that he only stayed at his Manhattan home because it was "a convenient place to stay".
Andrew also claims he was at a Pizza Express in Woking on the night Virginia Roberts, now Giuffre, alleges she had sex with him aged 17 and that he can’t sweat after she alleged he "sweated profusely".
The Duke of York added he would testify under oath "if push came to shove" and described Epstein’s behaviour as "unbecoming".
The fallout from the interview saw the royal criticised for showing a lack of empathy towards Epstein's victims and a lack of remorse over his friendship with disgraced financier.
Andrew quit his royal duties and publicly promised to co-operate with US authorities investigating Epstein's crimes, though has since faced a war of words between his camp and American authorities over his availability to answer questions.
What did the Channel 4 Dispatches documentary reveal?
The Dispatches programme The Prince and the Paedophile examined the relationship between Prince Andrew and Epstein.
Reporter Cathy Newman looked at Epstein's British connections from Prince Andrew to Ghislaine Maxwell.
Private investigator Mike Fisten has already claimed that Epstein had 13 telephone numbers to contact the Queen's second son on.
A telephone contact book was found in Epstein's Palm Beach home that is said to have included a line for the Duke of York at Buckingham Palace.
What has Virginia Roberts Giuffre said about Prince Andrew?
As Ms Giuffre, who lives in Australia, she launched a legal battle against Prince Andrew in August 2021, she released a statement.
she said:"I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me.
"The powerful and the 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 one can reclaim her life by speaking out and demanding justice.
"I did not come to this decision lightly. As a mother and a wife, my family comes first.
"I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates.
What has Johanna Sjoberg said about Prince Andrew?
Johanna Sjoberg alleges Prince Andrew touched her breast in 2001 at the New York home of his pal Jeffrey Epstein, according to court papers.
In the documents Sjoberg said: "I just remember someone suggesting a photo, and they told us to go get on the couch. And so Andrew and Virginia Giuffre (formerly Roberts) sat on the couch, and they put the puppet, the puppet on her lap.
"And so then I sat on Andrew's lap, and I believe on my own volition, and they took the puppet's hands and put it on Virginia's breast, and so Andrew put his on mine," she said, saying it was done in a "joking manner".
What has Courtney Love said about Prince Andrew?
Courtney Love has alleged Prince Andrew once tried to seduce her — amid claims that they were introduced through paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The royal turned up at the star’s house at 1am “looking for sex”, shortly after being introduced to the disgraced financier.
While they did not sleep together, Courtney — widow of Nirvana rocker Kurt Cobain — has told friends Andrew was “very flirtatious”.
The 55-year-old singer was among those recently named in Epstein’s infamous black book.
What has Prince Andrew said about the allegations?
The Prince has strenuously denied all allegations brought against him.
Buckingham Palace strongly denied the allegation in 2015 saying "any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors" by the Duke was "categorically untrue".
It has consistently denied the allegations, reinforcing that statement in 2019 by saying "Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.
"It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."
Prince Andrew added: "At no stage during the limited time I spent with [Epstein] did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction."
All the allegations about Prince Andrew were struck from the court record in 2015.
They were described by the judge as being "immaterial and impertinent".
Andrew and Epstein: Timeline of events
1999
This is the year the prince first met Epstein, allegedly the pair were linked up via his friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of newspaper tycoon Robert Maxwell.
Andrew welcomes Epstein to Balmoral.
2000
Andrew, Maxwell and Epstein are seen on holiday at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Epstein and Maxwell attend a party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen to mark Andrew's 40th birthday, Princess Anne’s 50th, the Queen Mother's 100th and Princess Margaret's 70th.
2001
This is the year Virginia Roberts claims to have had sex with Andrew “three times, including one orgy”, with the first encounter reportedly taking place in Ms Maxwell's London townhouse.
Ms Roberts claims to have later had sex with the duke on two more occasions, at Epstein's New York home and at an “orgy” on his private island of Little St James in the Caribbean.
2008
Epstein admits prostituting minors and is sentenced to 18 months in prison.
2010
Epstein is released from jail. Andrew is photographed with the sex offender in Central Park.
Footage emerges years later, reportedly shot on December 6 2010, showing him inside Epstein's Manhattan mansion, where he is seen looking out from a large door of the property waving a woman goodbye after Epstein leaves to get into a car.
2011
The duke resigns his role as UK trade envoy after the fallout from the Central Park photos.
2015
Buckingham Palace denies Andrew has committed any impropriety after he is named in US court documents related to Epstein. A woman, later named in reports as Ms Roberts, alleges in papers filed in Florida that she was forced to have sex with the duke when she was 17, which is under the age of consent in the US state.
In April the claims against Andrew are struck from US civil court records following a federal judge's ruling.
2019
Newly released legal documents show that Johanna Sjoberg, another alleged Epstein victim, claimed Andrew touched her breast while sitting on a couch inside the US billionaire's Manhattan apartment in 2001.
Buckingham Palace said the allegations are “categorically untrue".
Epstein is found dead in his jail cell on August 10, after being charged with sex trafficking.
Later that month a pilot on Epstein's private jet claims Andrew was a passenger on past flights with the financier and Ms Roberts.
Following Epstein's death, a statement from the palace says that Andrew is ”appalled by the recent reports of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged crimes“.
Breaking his silence on the issue for the first time since 2015, Andrew then releases a statement on August 24 saying: ”At no stage during the limited time I spent with him (Epstein) did I see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to his arrest and conviction.“
In November, during a BBC Newsnight interview the duke said he had ”no recollection“ of ever meeting Ms Roberts and added he could not have had sex with her in March 2001 because he was at Pizza Express with daughter Beatrice on the day in question.
He added that he “did not regret“ his friendship with the paedophile but admitted he should not have gone to see him in New York in 2010 to break off their friendship.
2020
Andrew’s name is missing from heavily redacted court documents outlining Ghislaine Maxwell's sordid sex life, a bombshell deposition revealed today.
The explosive docs, released after the socialite lost a legal battle to keep them under wraps, contain details of the Duke's infamous London trip where it is alleged he had sex with a victim of Jeffrey Epstein.
2021
Jeffrey Epstein-accuser Virginia Giuffre has started legal action against the Duke of York and said it was "past the time for him to be held to account" for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.
Lawyers for Ms Giuffre filed the civil suit seeking unspecified damages at a federal court in New York, where the court documents claim she was "lent out for sexual purposes" by convicted sex offender Epstein including while she was still a minor under US law.
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