Virginia Roberts 'Feared Death Or Physical Injury To Herself' If She Didn't Sleep With Prince Andrew, Lawsuit Claims
Almost two years after pedophile Jeffrey Epstein died, Virginia Roberts has sued Prince Andrew for rape and detailed what allegedly happened during her time with the dad-of-two.
In the lawsuit, which was obtained by The Royal Observer, Roberts claims that the royal "sexually abused Plaintiff in Epstein’s New York mansion in this District."
"During this encounter, [Ghislaine] Maxwell forced Plaintiff, a child, and another victim to sit on Prince Andrew’s lap as Prince Andrew touched her. During his visit to New York, Prince Andrew forced Plaintiff to engage in sex acts against her will," the documents read.
"On another occasion, Prince Andrew sexually abused Plaintiff on Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Little St. James," the documents state. "During each of the aforementioned incidents, Plaintiff was compelled by express or implied threats by Epstein, Maxwell, and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Prince Andrew, and feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth, and authority."
Roberts claims that Andrew — who stepped down from royal duties in 2019 — "engaged in each of the aforementioned sexual acts at Epstein and Maxwell's invitation, knowing that she was a sex trafficking victim being forced to engage in sexual acts with him."
Roberts claims that she "did not consent to engaging in sexual acts with Prince Andrew."
"During each of the aforementioned incidents, Prince Andrew sexually abused Plaintiff for the purpose of gratifying his sexual desires," the papers read. "During each of the aforementioned incidents, Prince Andrew was acting in his individual, personal capacity, and was not performing any duty relating to his former role as a trade envoy, any duty relating to his role as a member of the Royal Family of the United Kingdom, or any other official or diplomatic duty or function. Defendant’s sexual assault and battery of Plaintiff have caused her, and continue to cause her, significant emotional and psychological distress and harm."
Roberts filed her complaint under New York's Child Victims Act. Though she was of legal age of consent in Britain when the alleged incident took place, she would have been considered a child under New York law.
"Today my attorney filed suit against Prince Andrew for sexual abuse under the Child Victims Act. As the suit lays out in detail, I was trafficked to him and sexually abused by him," she said in a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, August 9. "I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me. 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."
She concluded, "I did not come to this decision lightly. As a mother and a wife, my family comes first — and I know that this action will subject me to further attacks by Prince Andrew and his surrogates — but I knew if I did not pursue this action, I would be letting them and victims everywhere down."
For his part, Andrew has maintained his innocence. "It is emphatically denied that The Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation," a statement from Buckingham Palace said.
