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Virginia Giuffre’s memoir details Prince Andrew allegations, a friendly meeting with Trump, and more. Here are some takeaways.

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Virginia Giuffre’s memoir details Prince Andrew allegations, a friendly meeting with Trump, and more. Here are some takeaways.


In her posthumously published memoir, Virginia Roberts Giuffre shares a personal account of the story that made headlines worldwide: her accusations against Prince Andrew and years of alleged trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein.

“Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice” was released on Tuesday. Guiffre died by suicide earlier this year.

Here are some key takeaways from the book:

More details about Prince Andrew

Giuffre’s book alleges that she had sex with Prince Andrew three times, including when she was 17, after being trafficked by Epstein. One time, she said, was part of an orgy involving around eight other girls.

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“The other girls all seemed and appeared to be under the age of eighteen and didn’t really speak English,” Giuffre said.

She said that, as her legal case progressed, Andrew made it difficult for her legal team to serve him papers by “fleeing to Queen Elizabeth’s Balmoral Castle in Scotland and hiding behind its well-guarded gates.” Andrew denied her allegations.

But a turning point came with Andrew’s November 2019 interview on the BBC program Newsnight. He was widely criticized for seeming to lack empathy when asked about the accusations, and Giuffre says the interview “was like an injection of jet fuel” for her legal team.

“Its contents would not only help us build an ironclad case against the prince but also open the door to potentially subpoenaing his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, and their daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie,” Giuffre wrote.

She said her settlement negotiations with Andrew began to move quickly after he hired American lawyer Andrew Brettler, who had worked with other public figures facing #MeToo allegations.

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Brettler “was less reluctant than some of his British counterparts to face reality,” Giuffre wrote.

Giuffre said she and her team were asking for more than money as part of the settlement: They wanted an acknowledgement of what Giuffre had been through.

“After casting doubt on my credibility for so long — Prince Andrew’s team had even gone so far as to try to hire internet trolls to hassle me — the Duke of York owed me a meaningful apology as well. We would never get a confession, of course.”

The settlement was announced on Feb. 15, 2022, and Prince Andrew and Giuffre issued a joint statement which made clear he would pay Giuffre money, but didn’t specify the amount. It also said he would make a “substantial donation” in support of victims’ rights to Giuffre’s nonprofit organization. Andrew did not admit wrongdoing but said in court documents that he “regrets his association with Epstein.”

“I agreed to a one-year gag order, which seemed important to the prince because it ensured that his mother’s Platinum Jubilee would not be tarnished any more than it already had been,” Giuffre wrote.

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Last week, ahead of the publication of Giuffre’s memoir, Prince Andrew announced he would no longer use his Duke of York title, after already having stepped back from royal duties in 2019.

Mar-a-Lago and a meeting with Trump

Before she first encountered Gislaine Maxwell and was brought into Epstein’s world, in 2000, Giuffre worked at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, alongside her father, who was a maintenance man responsible for the air conditioning units in hotel rooms, as well as the clay tennis courts.

“I remember he gave me a brief tour before presenting me to the hiring manager who — after I passed both a drug test and a polygraph — agreed to take me on,” Giuffre wrote. She said she met Mr. Trump a few days after starting work at the resort.

“They weren’t friends exactly. But Dad worked hard, and Trump liked that,” Giuffre said.

When she met Mr. Trump in his office, she said he “couldn’t have been friendlier, telling me it was fantastic I was there.”

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He also asked if she babysat, Guiffre wrote, mentioning families with children who stayed in his properties nearby.

But it was also at Mar-a-Lago that Giuffre said she first met Ghislaine Maxwell.

“One steaming hot day some weeks before my seventeenth birthday, I was walking toward the Mar-a-Lago spa, on my way to work, when a car slowed behind me. I wish I could say that I sensed that something evil was tracking me, but as I headed into the building, I had no inkling of the danger I was in,” Giuffre said.

Maxwell jumped out of the car and introduced herself to Giuffre.

“I wish I could say that I saw through Maxwell’s polished facade — that, like a horse, I intuited the immense threat she posed to me. Instead, my first impression of Maxwell was the same one I formed when I greeted any well-heeled Mar-a-Lago guest. I’d be lucky, I thought, if I could grow up to be anything like her.”

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Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on federal charges including sex trafficking conspiracy, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Epstein died in jail in 2019 after his arrest on sex trafficking charges.

Mr. Trump has denied knowledge of Epstein and Maxwell’s activities.

Giuffre’s message to the world

Giuffre writes about how the abuse she was subjected to affected her and how she dedicated herself to standing up those who harmed her and supporting others to do the same.

“Don’t be fooled by those in Epstein’s circle who say they didn’t know what Epstein was doing,” Guiffre said at the end of the book. “Anyone who spent any significant amount of time with Epstein saw him touching girls in ways you wouldn’t want a creepy old man touching your daughter. They can say they didn’t know he was raping children. But they were not blind. (Not to mention the fact that many prominent people were still associating with him years after).”

Though it was difficult, Guiffre said she was glad she had worked to share her story.

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“I don’t regret it, but the constant telling and retelling has been extremely painful and exhausting,” she said.

Guiffre leaves readers with this message:

“I hope my story has moved you — to seek ways to free yourself from a bad situation, say, to stand up for someone else in need, or to simply reframe how you judge victims of sexual abuse. Each one of us can make positive change. I truly believe that. I hope for a world in which predators are punished, not protected; victims are treated with compassion, not shamed; and powerful people face the same consequences as anyone else. I yearn, too, for a world in which perpetrators face more shame than their victims do and where anyone who’s been trafficked can confront their abusers when they are ready, no matter how much time has passed. We don’t live in this world yet. …  If this book moves us even an inch closer to a reality like that — if it helps just one person — I will have achieved my goal.”



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Virginia Tech HC James Franklin Gives High Praise For Clemson’s Dabo Swinney

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Virginia Tech HC James Franklin Gives High Praise For Clemson’s Dabo Swinney


CHARLOTTE, N.C. —  In this world of college football, with the transfer portal and recruiting battles, bad blood is present more than ever before between head coaches. 

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That’s not the case between the Virginia Tech head coach and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, however. In fact, Franklin revealed at ACC Kickoff on Thursday that the two are actually close friends, dating back to their time at the Nike trip that various coaches take over the summer. 

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“Dabo’s my guy,” Franklin said on Thursday. “We go way back. We’ve been on the Nike trip for a long time. His wife and my wife are friends.”

The long-time Penn State head coach is making the move to the ACC after being fired from the Nittany Lions in October. 12 seasons of being with the program had Franklin hold a 44-21 record against top 10 opponents, an impressive record for a new conference foe of Swinney’s. 

But when that trip comes around, there’s a camaraderie between Swinney and Franklin and both of their wives. In fact, the two hang out with each other instead of the other coaches at times. It simply comes to an “edgy” time in college athletics that raises tempers. 

“I’m going to be honest, I wouldn’t say we’re necessarily like the type of people that love a lot of other coaches and a lot of other programs,” Franklin said. “It’s hard when you just compete year-round.”

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On Swinney’s end, there are a few who could immediately come to mind among Clemson fans. Perhaps the most recent would be Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who played the most significant role in the tampering of former linebacker Luke Ferrelli. 

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It’s a select list of coaches who make the good side of the Tigers’ head coach, and Franklin is certainly on that list. On the other hand, Hokies’ head coach has Swinney on his own shortlist. 

“Obviously, tremendous respect for what he has built at Clemson and what he’s done at Clemson, and what he’s done for the ACC,” he said. 

The two will see that close relationship face off at Memorial Stadium this upcoming season. Clemson will host the Hokies on Oct. 24 in what could be a potential title-eliminator for the ACC Championship. 

Of course, the last game that we’ve seen the Tigers play in was against Franklin’s former team in Penn State at the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl. That game ended in a 22-10 contest that saw a foundation of Franklin players end Clemson’s season in disappointment. 

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Swinney will see many of those players once again in October, including starting quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, in that contest. The anticipated Hokie starter recorded 260 yards and two passing touchdowns on the Tigers in the Bronx that day. 

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Although friends become foes, another ACC coach has given Swinney his flowers for what he’s been able to do for the conference. In the upcoming moments, Franklin will look to prepare his team to prove itself on one of the biggest stages in the ACC, while Swinney looks to put his team back at the top of a conference he’s dominated for over 15 years. 

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Drought emergency declared for parts of Virginia; governor warns of water restrictions

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Drought emergency declared for parts of Virginia; governor warns of water restrictions


Extreme drought conditions in parts of Virginia have prompted an emergency drought warning for a wide swath of the region, including Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties, along with the cities of Danville, Roanoke, Salem and Martinsville.

The governor has warned that if conditions worsen, she will activate mandatory nonessential water-use restrictions.

In Martinsville, city leaders have issued a voluntary water conservation notice and are urging residents and businesses to cut back where they can. The request comes as local businesses that rely heavily on water say the drought is already affecting day-to-day operations.

SEE ALSO: Botetourt County residents adjust daily routines as voluntary water restriction continues

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John Hughes, owner of John’s Car Wash, said the dry conditions have hit his business hard in recent weeks. “For the last 3 weeks, it’s been hitting pretty hard. We done three yesterday and haven’t done anything today with the drought and hot weather. Yeah, I’m really concerned about it,” Hughes said.

Restaurants are also feeling the strain. David Kitzmiller, an owner of Be Wiched, said water is essential for routine tasks such as washing dishes and preparing some menu items.

“We use a lot of water for washing dishes and some of our recipes if they limit us in anyway defiently can’t produce and its a scary aspect,” Kitzmiller said.

Kitzmiller added that cutting back is not always realistic for businesses that must meet sanitation needs. “Not really feasible for a business that depends solely relies on water to wash their dishes, so that can’t definitely be an impact there,” he said.

City leaders emphasized that the conservation request is voluntary for now, but they are encouraging everyone to do their part by taking shorter showers, turning off the faucet when it is not in use, washing only full loads of laundry, and limiting outdoor watering whenever possible.

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Five charged after Virginia Beach Police conduct human trafficking operation

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Five charged after Virginia Beach Police conduct human trafficking operation


VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Five people were charged after Virginia Beach Police conducted a two-day human trafficking and vice operation on July 3, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.

The department’s Special Investigations Bureau conducted the operation, which was aimed at identifiying human trafficking victims, reducing the demand for commercial sex and targeting individuals seeking to exploit or recruit children for prostitution.

Detectives used many investigative techniques to proactively identify individuals involved in criminal activity related to prostitution, human trafficking and offenses against children. The operation was conducted in Virginia Beach, involving personnel from all of the bureau’s squads.

As a result of the operation, five people were identified and charged with offenses ranging from solicitation of prostitution to sex trafficking and crimes involving minors. Two vehicles and U.S. currency were seized during the operation. Other people were connected to victim services through Samaritan House.

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The operation led to the following people being charged:

  • Shane Carter, 28, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.
  • Robert Harris, 64, of Virginia Beach, was charged with solicitation of prostitution and assault and battery.
  • Larry Pittman, 53, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking and use of electronic devices to facilitaate certain offenses involving minors.
  • Kenric Frazier, 46, of Portsmouth, was charged with sex trafficking, use of electronic devices to facilitate certain offenses involving minors and solicitation of child pornography.
  • Cameron Lewis, 24, of Norfolk, was charged with solicitation of prostitution.

Investigators also developed leads about people who are suspected of trafficking and exploiting others for commercial sex. Those are now active and ongoing investigations. There may be more charges and arrests pending further investigation and consultation with the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.

If you’re a human trafficking victim or know someone who is, you can report it to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.

Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.



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