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What specific allegations did Virginia Giuffre make against Prince Andrew?
Executive summary
Virginia Giuffre alleged that, after being sex‑trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell as a teenager, she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew on three occasions in 2001 — including when she says she was 17 — and that one widely circulated photograph shows them together that night (Giuffre and Andrew both have publicly disputed particulars; Andrew denies ever having had sex with her) [1][2]. Giuffre pursued a U.S. civil suit that settled in February 2022 and was dismissed the following month; reporting and her posthumous memoir have since reiterated the specific three‑encounter allegation [3][2].
1. The core allegation: three sexual encounters, one at 17
Giuffre’s repeated, central claim is that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her and that she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times in 2001 — she points to encounters at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home, Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan home, and on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands — and that at least one of those encounters occurred when she was 17 [1][4][2].
2. The photograph and memory dispute
A photograph long in circulation, which appears to show Prince Andrew with his arm around Giuffre while Ghislaine Maxwell stands in the background, is a key piece Giuffre cites to support her account of meeting him in London. Prince Andrew has disputed aspects of the image, including saying in 2019 that he had “no recollection whatsoever” of meeting her, while other documents and emails revealed in reporting have suggested Epstein and associates treated the picture as authentic [5][6][7].
3. Legal action and settlement: what was alleged in court
Giuffre filed a civil sexual‑assault/sex‑trafficking claim against Prince Andrew in New York; the complaint alleged that she was forced to have sex with him as part of Epstein’s trafficking network and sought redress under the law [3][4]. The parties reached an out‑of‑court settlement in February 2022 and the case was dismissed by stipulation in March 2022, without a trial; the settlement was described as not containing any admission of liability by Andrew [3][2].
4. Public narrative, memoir and additional allegations
After Giuffre’s civil suit and subsequent public coverage, she published a posthumous memoir that again describes the three alleged encounters and elaborates on her account of being trafficked and exploited by Epstein’s circle; the memoir excerpt and reporting have intensified scrutiny of Andrew’s ties to Epstein [2][8]. Media outlets summarizing the memoir report she wrote of feeling “passed around” and described Andrew as “entitled,” reiterating the three‑encounter narrative including the 17‑year‑old allegation [5][9].
5. Denials and disputed facts
Prince Andrew has consistently denied Giuffre’s allegations: he denies having sex with her, disputes having been trafficked to him, and has at times said he does not recall meeting her; his legal team also contested aspects of the claims during court exchanges [2][3]. Available sources show competing accounts — Giuffre’s detailed allegations and supporting documentary material made public in litigation versus Andrew’s persistent denials and statements questioning memory and the authenticity of elements of the record [4][6].
6. Evidentiary pointers shown in reporting
Reporting has highlighted documents and email threads tied to Epstein that appear in places to undercut some of Andrew’s denials — for example, emails in which Epstein notes that Giuffre had been on his plane and had a photograph taken — yet media outlets also note there was no criminal conviction of Andrew and that the ultimate resolution of the civil suit was a settlement [7][6][3].
7. What the public record does — and does not — prove
The public record assembled in these sources documents Giuffre’s detailed, repeated allegations (three encounters, one at 17) and related materials made public in litigation and memoir; it also documents Andrew’s denials and a civil settlement that ended the case without trial [1][2][3]. Available sources do not mention any criminal conviction of Prince Andrew arising from these allegations or a trial verdict determining guilt [3][2].
8. Competing narratives and why both matter
Giuffre’s account is corroborated in media and court filings with repeated, specific allegations and a photograph that figures heavily in public debate; Andrew’s camp contests memory, some evidence interpretation, and emphasizes that the settlement was without admission of liability [5][2][3]. Presenting both sides is essential: the allegations shaped public and legal consequences, while the settlement and denials mean no trial adjudicated the factual disputes [3][2].
Limitations: this summary relies solely on the provided reporting and court‑document summaries; it does not include material beyond the supplied sources and therefore cannot adjudicate disputed factual points not resolved in those sources [3][2].