‘COME CLEAN PRINCE ANDREW’

Cairns woman takes aim at royal for alleged part in sex scandal

A CAIRNS woman has demanded Prince Andrew “come clean” about his alleged part in one of the biggest sex scandals of a generation. Virginia Giuffre (above) yesterday captured world attention by claiming “he knows exactly what he’s done”. Mrs Giuffre and 15 other victims of billionaire paedophile Jeffery Epstein appeared at a special hearing in New York, which comes after Epstein, a friend of the Prince, killed himself in jail.

WHEN billionaire paedophile Jeffery Epstein died almost three weeks ago, Virginia Roberts Giuffre was more than 15,000km away with her husband and children at their Cairns home.

Yesterday, her face was splashed on front pages across the world after she sensationally called on Prince Andrew to “come clean” for his alleged part in one of the biggest sex scandals of a generation.

Mrs Giuffre travelled to New York from her Cairns home to pour out her pain and fury at Epstein, along with 15 other victims who branded him a coward for taking his life before they could get justice.

The mother-of-three has alleged she was treated as a “sex slave”, and forced to sleep with Prince Andrew in New York, London and on Epstein’s private island when she was 17.

Mrs Giuffre, 35, who was photographed being held around her waist by Prince Andrew in early 2001, said that she would not stop fighting for justice and would not be silenced. “He knows exactly what he’s done, and I hope he comes clean about it,” she said outside court.

She had been asked to comment on statements issued by Buckingham Palace that Prince Andrew, who is eighth in line to the throne, denied “impropriety with underage minors” or any sexual contact with her.

With her response, she called out one of the most powerful royals in the world and stepped back into the spotlight after living the quiet life in Cairns with her husband, Robert, and their three schoolaged children.

Yesterday was a far cry from that life.

She appeared at a special hearing convened by District Judge Richard Berman, who presided over the case after federal prosecutors had Epstein arrested last month on sex trafficking charges involving dozens of women.

Judge Berman elected to give Epstein’s accusers their day in court to “promote transparency” before striking the indictment, following his suicide in jail on August 10.

Epstein was arrested last month.

Judge Berman, who described Epstein’s death as a “stunning turn of events” said the defence was raising “fair” questions.

But it was Mrs Giuffre’s statements outside court, again drawing Buckingham Palace into the sprawling scandal, that drew the most attention yesterday.

A court decided in 2015 that the allegations made by Mrs Giuffre about the Duke were “immaterial and impertinent” and they were struck out of a claim against Epstein.

Since then, she founded the non-profit Victims Refuse Silence charity to “assist victims of sex trafficking”.

“Money can’t stop justice from prevailing,’’ she tweeted recently.

“The time has come for the truth to come out about the abuse I endured as a minor. The world needs to know how far this rabbit hole goes down.”

Her posts feature the picture of the brilliantly-coloured Ulysses butterfly, popularly used as an emblem of tropical north Queensland.