The brother of Virginia Giuffre has praised the King’s decision to strip his brother Andrew of his titles – and has called on him to pressure Donald Trump into releasing the Epstein files.
Speaking to Gareth Barlow on Sky News, Sky Roberts said the King had “set a precedent to the rest of the world” that he was standing with survivors of abuse.
“But it’s not enough. He’s [Andrew] is still walking around a free man. He’s not going to be living on the side of the road. He should be investigated,” he said.
Mr Roberts also accused the US government of “safeguarding documents of people that are implicated” with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein and his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
“We need to fully investigate them. He should tell President Trump ‘put your big boy pants on’, and let’s get these Epstein files released so that we can go after these monsters properly.”
Ms Giuffre, who took her own life earlier this year, claimed that – as a teenager – she had sex with Andrew on three occasions after being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell.
Andrew has always denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations. Ms Giuffre sued in 2021, and the case was settled outside court for a sum believed to have been around £12m.
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In a previous statement, issued on Thursday after the announcement that Andrew will be stripped of his royal titles, the family said Ms Giuffre “never stopped fighting for accountability for what had happened to her and to countless other survivors like her”.
“An ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” the family said, adding, “she declares victory”.
The family vowed to continue fighting until “all of the abusers and abettors connected to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell” are brought to justice.
The disgraced royal will now be treated as a commoner and go by the name Andrew Mountbatten Windsor.
‘Virginia should be here celebrating’
Elsewhere in the interview, Mr Roberts said the family has felt “a mixed bag of emotions” since the palace’s latest announcement.
“[Virginia] should be sitting on this camera with you right now celebrating this but also demanding more justice,” he said.
“I think it’s a mixed bag of emotions over the last 24 hours but we are just hell bent to not let her voice die.”
Mr Roberts added he would welcome a meeting with the King and “love the opportunity to tell my sister’s story to the palace”.
“If the King is saying he stands with survivors out there and if the King is saying he stands with survivors and their victims, then meet with us, have a conversation with us,” he said.
“We’re real people with real stories that can affect real change and I think my sister did something unprecedented that says advocacy can affect change, advocacy can lead to justice.”
Andrew no longer Duke of York
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been removed from the official roll of the peerage, representing a significant step in the formal revocation of his titles.
Buckingham Palace confirmed that his name was struck from the roll after the King decided to strip his brother of the Prince and Duke of York titles and the HRH style, effectively ending his public role.
Dukes, including the Duke of York, are recorded on the roll of the peerage, which is maintained by the Crown Office under the responsibility of the Lord Chancellor, David Lammy.
As justice secretary, Mr Lammy was set to receive royal warrants from the King to remove the Duke from the roll, along with his Prince title and HRH style.
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Andrew to leave Royal Lodge in Windsor
In addition to losing his royal titles, Andrew has been ordered to leave Royal Lodge – a 30-room mansion in Windsor Great Park where he lived for more than 20 years.
Andrew will now be moving to a property on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, around 100 miles north of London, which is privately owned by the King.
The estate is perhaps most famous as the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas holiday residence.
It remains unclear when Andrew will leave the property, though it is expected to be “as soon as practicable”.
Read more:
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It is understood that the King made the decision due to his brother’s significant lapses in judgement, and had the backing of the royal family, including the Prince of Wales.
Sarah Ferguson, who previously lived with her former husband Andrew at Royal Lodge, will not be provided accommodation by the King and will need to find a new residence.
Andrew’s downfall
The latest developments in the long-running controversy come amid renewed scrutiny of the King’s brother, after he tried earlier this month to address Ms Giuffre’s allegations by relinquishing his dukedom and other honours ahead of the release of her posthumous memoir.
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Instead of easing scrutiny, Andrew faced mounting criticism over his property, and some MPs pushed for the issue to be debated in parliament.
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He has also been the subject of damaging media reports, including allegations that he attempted to enlist the Metropolitan Police to collect information for a smear campaign against Ms Giuffre.
The King’s decision to strip his brother of his titles is likely to be seen by commentators as an effort by the royal family to distance itself from Andrew.
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