Virginia
Virginia Giuffre’s memoir renews allegations against Prince Andrew
Extracts from Virginia Giuffre’s posthumously released memoir have further intensified the recently renewed scrutiny on Prince Andrew, detailing allegations of being trafficked to the British royal.
Ms Giuffre took her own life earlier this year, but her story is being perpetuated in her book, Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice, which will be released next week.
An extract published by The Guardian repeats her allegations of being forced to have sex with Prince Andrew as a minor in 2001 — a claim he has repeatedly denied.
“He was friendly enough, but still entitled — as if he believed having sex with me was his birthright,” Giuffre wrote.
The extract comes days after British tabloids claimed to have confirmed the prince sent an email to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein saying “it seems we’re in this together”.
Last month, multiple UK-based charities severed ties with Prince Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York, after British media reported she described Epstein as a “steadfast, generous and supreme friend” in a 2011 letter.
Ms Giuffre wrote about an encounter she had with the prince in Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell’s London house, saying the four of them went to a nightclub.
On the way home, Ms Giuffre alleges she was told to have sex with the prince.
She said the pair had a bath together but “didn’t stay there long because the prince was eager to get to the bed”.
“He seemed in a rush to have intercourse.
“Afterward, he said ‘thank you’ in his clipped British accent.”
Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations. (Reuters)
Who is Virginia Giuffre?
Virginia Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, was a key figure in the campaign to bring Epstein to justice.
She was instrumental in making accusations of paedophilia, sex abuse and sex trafficking about the late financier public.
She had been vocal with her accusations of being sexually abused by Epstein as a teenager and trafficked to his wealthy, influential friends.
Among those, she alleged, was Prince Andrew.
In February 2011, UK newspaper The Mail on Sunday published a photo of Prince Andrew with his arm around Ms Giuffre alongside Epstein’s girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts, and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001. (Supplied)
The photo ran with a lengthy article in which Ms Giuffre detailed being trafficked by Epstein and being prepared to testify against him in the case that saw him convicted as a sex offender but handed a light sentence.
The online version of the 2011 article is careful not to accuse Prince Andrew of sexual misconduct, but raises questions about his associations with Epstein.
What was the allegation against Prince Andrew?
An allegation that Prince Andrew engaged in underage sex was made public in January 2015, after court documents in a civil case accusing Epstein of trafficking were revealed.
At the time, Buckingham Palace issued a strongly worded statement saying, “For the avoidance of doubt, any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue.”
A few days later, The Daily Mail published a story identifying Ms Giuffre as the person described as Jane Doe #3 in the case, which was eventually settled.
In the article, Ms Giuffre spoke in greater detail about her encounters with Prince Andrew than she did in 2011.
She told the paper she was paid about $US15,000 ($23,000) by Epstein as a reward for sleeping with the prince.
Prince Andrew denied allegation in BBC interview
The years that followed led to the arrest of Epstein on sex trafficking charges in July 2019 — he was found dead in his jail cell a month later.
The intense media attention on the Epstein charges spread to his associates, bringing the allegations against Prince Andrew back into the spotlight.
Prince Andrew speaking to Emily Maitlis on the BBC. (BBC)
Prince Andrew gave an extraordinary interview on BBC Newsnight in November 2019.
During the now infamous interview, he “categorically” denied having sex with Ms Giuffre and questioned the legitimacy of the photo from 2001.
He told the BBC he had “no recollection of ever meeting this lady” and could not have been at the nightclub because he had taken his daughter to a Pizza Express restaurant that night.
He also refuted Ms Giuffre’s claims that he was sweating profusely while dancing with her because he had a “peculiar medical condition” that affected his ability to sweat.
“I didn’t sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands War when I was shot at and I simply … it was almost impossible for me to sweat,” he told the BBC.
A few days after the interview aired, he retired from public duties after agreeing to cooperate with investigations into Epstein’s alleged crimes.
UK police reviewed evidence relating to sex crime allegations against the prince, but announced they were taking no further action in 2021.
In January 2022, he was stripped of his military titles while defending a civil sex abuse case Ms Giuffre brought against him.
A month later, he reached a settlement with Ms Giuffre, reportedly making a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
The ABC has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Virginia Giuffre was a key figure in the campaign to bring Epstein to justice. (AP: Bebeto Matthews)
Giuffre adamant about publishing book before death
Ms Giuffre, who resettled in Australia, died at a property in Neergabby, about 80 kilometres north of Perth, in April.
She had worked with journalist Amy Wallace to complete the manuscript for her 400-page book.
The cover image for Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice. (AP: Alfred A. Knopf)
Before she died, Ms Giuffre told Wallace it was her “heartfelt wish” the memoir be released “regardless” of her circumstances.
“The content of this book is crucial, as it aims to shed light on the systemic failures that allow the trafficking of vulnerable individuals across borders,” the email reads.
“It is imperative that the truth is understood and that the issues surrounding this topic are addressed, both for the sake of justice and awareness.”
The Virginia Cavaliers clinched yet another conference win last night, this time against California. Overall, this has been a remarkable season for the Cavaliers thus far, with few hiccups along the way. Their latest victory came with a stunning 84-60 finish, but as the story goes, there are still areas that need attention. With that, let’s take a look at the good, the bad and the ugly of last night’s meeting.
The Good
The Cavaliers are undoubtedly more consistent on offense — they’ve encountered quite a few challenges defensively. However, last night appeared to be a bit of a turning point, said cautiously. The Golden Bears’ efforts with the ball were met with great resistance from UVA. Malik Thomas, in particular, has made strides on both sides of the ball, but his defensive improvements have been noteworthy. As head coach Ryan Odom stated during his postgame press conference:
“… I thought our guys did a nice job. The discipline was there for the majority of the night. They did get us on occasion, not on occasion, probably too many times at the end of drives with shot fakes, but for the most part, in that first 10 minutes of the second half, we were able to stop them in and around the rim and stay down. And they were kind of left with some really hard shots there, which allowed us to get out in transition. I thought our press was pretty good. Even though we didn’t get a lot of turnovers or anything like that, I thought our press, you know, was effective.”
The Bad
Although Virginia wrapped up the matchup with a 24-point lead, there were moments throughout the night in which leads were swapped between programs in the first quarter. Once the second half rolled around, the Golden Bears were unable to catch up. However, the brief moments that they did control the scoreboard could have cost UVA the game, and ultimately, another loss in the ACC.
“I’m not worried about the margin,” said Odom. “It’s more about how we’re playing. And I thought our guys played well tonight, you know, defensively, we’re trying to make strides. We’re trying to get better. The guys are focused on that. Offensively, we can’t lose that, you know, ability to really share the ball and put pressure on our opponents. And I think we’re improving.”
The Ugly
Much of the back-and-forth lead during the first quarter was due to Cal’s pressure. Their defense stayed on top of UVA, which ruffled some of the Cavaliers’ feathers on the court, forcing some turnovers along the way.
Odom described this situation by stating, “Cal was really bothering us with their defense, their aggressiveness, and stepping out and pick and roll, even though we didn’t have a ton of turnovers in that first half. We had five. There were still some bobbled balls. The ball was loose and a little bit too loose for us. And their pressure had a lot to do with that. The end of the half was really important for us, the execution on defense and offense to give us a little bit of a cushion there going into halftime.”
Virginia certainly encountered some difficulty last night, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t successfully navigate. Now, the Cavaliers are gearing up for their upcoming matchup against Stanford on Jan. 10 at John Paul Jones Arena. Will UVA capitalize on its opportunity to extend its ACC record to 3-1?
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Freshman guard Ebuka Okorie lifted Stanford over Virginia Tech with a game-winning, step-back 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left to give the Cardinal a 69-68 win at Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Jan. 7.
Okorie sized up his defender, Virginia Tech freshman Neoklis Avdalas of Greece, before getting into his sweet spot and rising up.
Okorie scored 31 points, going 11-for-18 from the floor with four 3-pointers, including the go-ahead bucket. His four made from long-distance tied a collegiate career-high. He added six assists and had only one turnover.
Virginia Tech led 31-24 at the end of the first half. However, Stanford came out of the second half and switched gears. The Hokies were outscored in the second half 45-37.
Virginia Tech was led by Avdalas with 21 points. Hokies sophomore guard Ben Hammond scored 14 points off the bench.
Chisom Okpara had an off night for Stanford, scoring just four points on 1-of-11 shooting, but still the Cardinal would get some help in the scoring department from Donavin Young and Oskar Giltay, who chipped in with 11 and eight points, respectively.
Stanford continues its road trip with a visit to No. 23 Virginia on Saturday, Jan. 10. Virginia Tech has a home game Saturday against California.
Stanford vs. Virginia Tech: Ebuka Okorie hits game-winning shot
Hopwood & LaRue Catering and Events at the University of Lynchburg has been named a “2026 Top Wedding Vendor” by Virginia Living magazine.
Hopwood & LaRue was listed among Central Virginia vendors in the following categories: Catering, Venue-Event Space, and Venue-Gardens & Estates. For earning a top spot, vendors are listed in the digital “2026 Top Wedding Vendors” guide and receive a virtual badge to share on their website.
According to Virginia Living, the annual list spotlights “vendors who help make Virginia weddings truly unforgettable — from florists and photographers to venues, planners, and more. … This exclusive online list is a companion to ‘Weddings 2026,’ featured in our February issue, one of the year’s most anticipated editorial sections.”
Through Hopwood & LaRue Catering and Events couples can plan weddings at University-owned facilities, including Snidow Chapel and Claytor Nature Center’s Cloverlea Farmhouse.
The company also offers event planning and a full range of beverage and catering services, including vegan, vegetarian, and ethnic options, along with “special curated menus” designed to help clients “develop their ideal cocktail hour and reception dinner experience for themselves and their guests.”
Referring to the 491-acre Claytor Nature Center specifically, Marsh described a typical event: “On their special day, the wedding ceremony typically takes place at the reflection pond, which holds a magical view of Sharp Top and Flat Top mountains,” she said.
“Cocktail hour is then enjoyed [on] the ash lawn, and the reception dinner is later paired with desserts, drinks, and dancing under our extra-large, tented reception area. And the sunset views are just as exceptional as the dining experience.”
According to Marsh, Hopwood & LaRue’s wedding sales have “increased significantly in the past year, and our Cloverlea wedding bookings have quadrupled since 2025. We now have over a dozen weddings and events lined up at Cloverlea for 2026 and are excited to book more and also look ahead into 2027.”
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