Virginia was just 16 when she first 'met' Prince Andrew. She says he can't 'hide forever'.

This post deals with rape and might be triggering for some readers.

When disgraced billionaire and financier, Jeffrey Epstein, was charged with sex trafficking minors, no one could fathom the scope of his sex trafficking ring. No one, perhaps, except his young victims.

Australian Virginia Roberts Giuffre was just one of those many victims.

Epstein, who reportedly took his own life in his Manhattan jail cell around August 10, had created a sex trafficking ring which allowed himself and his rich, powerful friends to have sex with underage girls – some apparently as young as 12. Epstein also paid his victims to recruit new girls for him to abuse in his Manhattan, New York and Palm Beach, Florida residences.

On last night’s episode of 60 Minutes, Roberts Giuffre opened up about her horrific sexual abuse at the hands of Epstein and his alleged accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell – and explained how she reportedly came to be abused by Britain’s Prince Andrew, The Duke of York.

Roberts Giuffre said in 1999, she was 16-years-old and worked at an exclusive resort. It was here that she was coaxed by Maxwell, a British socialite, into giving Epstein a massage in exchange for education and travel. She was 16.

"She just seemed very nice. She said, 'I've got a person that I know who is actually looking for a travelling masseuse, and if you want, I can get you an interview with him. If he likes you, we can get you educated, you'll be a real masseuse. And, you'll get to travel, and see the world'. She made it sound like it was a dream come true."

Roberts Giuffre quickly realised Maxwell had tricked her - and taken advantage of her vulnerable position. She had admitted to the socialite that she'd been raped before.

"We did the back of Epstein. And then, when he turned over, that's when I was instructed to get undressed, and have sex with Jeffrey Epstein, while Ghislaine Maxwell was participating as well."

Nine months after meeting Epstein, Roberts Giuffre was "trafficked to other billionaires" and flown around the world so they could have sex with her.

She suspects this is so Epstein could always have something to hold over his friends - just in case he needed to ask a favour.

"I was trafficked to politicians, professors, even royalty. It was the elite of the world. It was the people who run the world. It was the most powerful people in the world."

Allegedly, one of said powerful people, was H.R.H Prince Andrew, member of the British Royal Family and father of Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

"We went to club Tramp and he [Prince Andrew] danced with me. And he sweats a lot and he smells funny. And then we get in the car and Ghislaine tells me in the car that I have to do what I do for Jeffrey for Prince Andrew and that’s where I learned what was going to happen."

Roberts Giuffre was 17-years-old at the time. She now maintains that she was trafficked to Prince Andrew for sex three times - once in London, once in New York, and once on Epstein's private island.

A now-infamous picture of Prince Andrew and Virginia together in 2001 has been contested over its authenticity.

"Those are his fingers. That is Andrew. This photo has been verified as an original and it's been since given to the FBI. And they've never contested that it's a fake. And I know it's real. And he needs to stop with all of these lame excuses. We're sick of hearing it. This is a real photo."

The allegations against Prince Andrew, 59, the second son and third child of Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, have been denied by Buckingham Palace.

In a statement to NBC News, the Palace said: "This relates to proceedings in the United States, to which the Duke of York is not a party. Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue."

"Prince Andrew says he was unaware of the sex trafficking but he spent days in Epstein’s New York Mansion where it was rampant," said Roberts Giuffre.

"You could not spend time there and not know what was going on."

In 2010, Prince Andrew was seen attending a party at Jeffrey Epstein’s New York City mansion. Roberts Giuffre was seen at Epstein's residence in New York with Prince Andrew by Joanna Shjoberg, who says the Prince touched her breast that same night.

This comes after Epstein plead guilty in 2008 to "state charges of solicitation of prostitution from a minor" according to the New York Times. He served 13 months in jail for his crimes, but was allowed to leave prison six days a week for up to 12 hours a day on "work release".

Prince Andrew released a statement after Epstein's death saying it was a "mistake and error" to see the sex offender after his 2010 release from jail.

"I deplore the exploitation of any human being and would not condone, participate in, or encourage any such behaviour," he said.

Prince Andrew issues a statement on his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. pic.twitter.com/S5G6vpHaxw

— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) August 24, 2019

Although he has responded to the allegations via Twitter, lawyer David Boies says he has written to the Prince and asked for his side of the story. He's received no response.

"If he wants to stay locked up in the palace and not travel outside the UK, maybe he can escape a reckoning.

"At some point he’s going to have to face the music, at some point he’s going to have to testify. He can’t hide forever."

If this post brings up any issues for you, you can contact Bravehearts (an organisation providing support to victims of child abuse) here.

If you are concerned about the welfare of a child you can get advice from the Child Abuse Protection Hotline by calling 1800 688 009, or visiting their website. You can also call the 24-
hour Child Abuse Report Line (131 478).