Under a flurry of media scrutiny and a civil lawsuit, Buckingham Palace issued a second denial concerning recent allegations that Prince Andrew engaged in sexual activity with an underage female from 1999 until 2002.
According to the lawsuit filed in South Florida, Virginia Roberts was forced to engage in sexual acts with the Duke of York, Prince Andrew. CNN has reported that “Roberts and another woman are seeking to join two other women who are arguing in federal court for the U.S. government to take a fresh look at its case involving self-made billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who pleaded guilty some years ago in Florida to a state charge of prostitution solicitation. The investment banker agreed to a state plea deal in 2007 and began serving an 18-month sentence in 2008, said The New York Times. According to The Times and the Washington Post, Epstein was the subject of a federal investigation but a deal allowed him to plead guilty to the lesser state charge and avoid a potential federal case. Prince Andrew has been photographed with Epstein. The prince previously issued an apology for his friendship with the scandal-plagued billionaire. The court filing last week claims that Roberts ‘was forced to have sexual relations’ with the prince in London, New York and on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
The Prince’s association with Epstein as well as Virginia Roberts’ detailed account of the incidents will continue to put pressure on the Royal Family and keep the sex abuse of children in the media spotlight.