Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's Thursday arrest makes him the highest-profile figure to face criminal consequences for ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The big picture: Following the arrest, police cited the former Prince Andrew's emails with Epstein — made public in the latest Justice Department drop — but supporters of the late Virginia Giuffre see it as a long-coming victory for the woman who once sued Mountbatten-Windsor for sexual abuse.
Driving the news: Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office, authorities said.
- In a statement about the arrest, police cited emails allegedly showing that the former prince may have forwarded confidential trade documents to Epstein.
- The latest batch of Epstein files include photos that show Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over a woman lying on the floor.
Mountbatten-Windsor has consistently denied wrongdoing in connection with his relationship with Epstein.
What they're saying: "Let me state clearly: the law must take its course," King Charles III wrote in a Thursday statement following the arrest. He said the authorities have his "full and wholehearted support and co-operation."
The other side: "At last, today, our broken hearts have been lifted at the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty," her siblings said in a statement shared with Axios. "He was never a prince."
Maria Farmer, the first known survivor to report Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to law enforcement, told Axios in a statement that "today is just the beginning of accountability and justice brought forth by Virginia Roberts Giuffre."
- "She did this for everyone's daughters," Farmer said. "Let's now demand all the dominos of power and corruption begin to fall."
Here's what to know about Giuffre's accusations:
Giuffre's accusations against Epstein and Maxwell
Catch up quick: In 2009, Giuffre anonymously sued Epstein and alleged she was "sexually exploited by Epstein's adult male peers, including royalty" while a minor after being employed as his personal masseuse.
- Giuffre reached a $500,000 settlement with Epstein.
- Giuffre also accused Ghislaine Maxwell of recruiting her for Epstein.
Giuffre came forward publicly in a March 2011 interview with the British tabloid Mail on Sunday, and was interviewed by FBI agents soon after, The Guardian reported in 2015.
- The birth of her daughter encouraged her to speak out about Epstein's abuse, Giuffre told the Miami Herald in 2019.
Giuffre sued Maxwell for defamation in 2015 after Maxwell called her a "liar."
- The case was settled for an undisclosed amount in 2017, and Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on sex-trafficking and other charges.
Between the lines: This lawsuit against Maxwell formed a key part of the Epstein investigation, leading to the criminal charges that brought Maxwell's ultimate conviction for the sex-trafficking of minors.
Giuffre's accusations against Prince Andrew
Zoom in: Giuffre alleged that Epstein arranged for Mountbatten-Windsor to sexually abuse her.
- Giuffre sued him in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan in 2021 under the Child Victims Act, alleging that he sexually abused her on three occasions after she was "lent out for sexual purpose" by Epstein to the British prince.
- Mountbatten-Windsor settled a lawsuit with Giuffre in 2022 but did not admit to any wrongdoing.
Mountbatten-Windsor stepped away from his royal duties, and his military titles and royal patronages were returned to Queen Elizabeth. He was also evicted from the royal estate in Windsor.
- He told the BBC in 2019 that he had "no recollection" of ever meeting Giuffre and suggested that a widely circulated photograph of him with his arm around the then-17-year-old may have been doctored.
Other accusations: Giuffre also accused former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, which Dershowitz has denied.
- Following his public comments about her, Giuffre sued Dershowitz for defamation in April 2019, and Dershowitz filed a countersuit.
- Both parties agreed to drop the case in a 2022 settlement.
Giuffre's death
Giuffre wrote in an Instagram post last March that she was injured in a crash with a school bus and was days away from dying of renal failure.
- She died by suicide nearly a month later, at 41.
- Giuffre's family said in a statement at the time that she was "a fierce warrior in the fight against sexual abuse and sex trafficking" and "the light that lifted so many survivors."
