'Bring him to justice': Epstein survivor demands action over Prince Andrew links
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Bring him to justice': Epstein survivor demands action over Prince Andrew links")
Marina Lacerda Photograph: (AFP)
Jeffrey Epstein survivor, Marina Lacerda, urges US and UK authorities to question Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor after new files revive abuse allegations
One of the women abused by late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has demanded that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor face questioning in the United States, as the lawyer representing his late accuser said those who accepted his denials should feel “deep shame”. Speaking to The Guardian after the latest batch of Epstein-related documents became public, survivor Marina Lacerda said the former royal must be held accountable. Lacerda, who was trafficked by Epstein as a teenager, said justice has been delayed for far too long.
Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, has repeatedly denied allegations made by Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexual abuse after meeting him in 2001 when she was 17. Giuffre died by suicide in April this year. Recently released US Justice Department files appear to include communications suggesting Mountbatten-Windsor sought assistance from Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell in arranging meetings with what he referred to as “inappropriate friends”. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking.
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Giuffre’s longtime lawyer, Brad Edwards, said public faith in Mountbatten-Windsor’s denials had been deeply misplaced. “Virginia showed extraordinary courage,” Edwards said, adding that anyone who doubted her claims should now reconsider their position. Lacerda, who was first exploited by Epstein at the age of 14, said governments on both sides of the Atlantic failed Giuffre by not properly investigating her allegations. She said it was unacceptable that meaningful scrutiny only followed Giuffre’s death and the posthumous release of her memoir.
“So many people ignored her while he stayed silent and protected,” Lacerda said. “It’s disturbing that accountability still feels out of reach.”
The newly unsealed files also reveal that US investigators once sought to interview Mountbatten-Windsor over his connection to another convicted sex offender, Peter Nygard. He declined to cooperate, and the inquiry did not proceed further.
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Emails cited in the documents, dating back to 2001 and 2002, suggest exchanges between Maxwell and a man identified only as “A”, who referenced royal residences, family details, and leaving the Royal Navy, details consistent with Mountbatten-Windsor’s life at the time. In one message, the individual asked Maxwell whether she had located “new inappropriate friends”. In another exchange, Maxwell requested “friendly, discreet and fun” young women for a man named Andrew during a trip to Peru, which coincided with an official overseas visit undertaken by Mountbatten-Windsor.
Giuffre detailed those encounters in her memoir Nobody’s Girl, writing that she was instructed by Maxwell to treat Mountbatten-Windsor the same way she had been forced to treat Epstein. She described him as entitled and said she was paid after the encounters.
Mountbatten-Windsor has continued to deny the allegations, though he reached an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre in 2022. The Guardian said it was unable to obtain a comment from him or his representatives regarding the latest disclosures.
