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Prince Andrew was yesterday accused of 'victim shaming' his accuser by branding Virginia Giuffre a publicity-hungry liar who made up her claims of sexual assault for a 'payday'.
The Duke of York faced an immediate backlash from women's groups after his lawyers filed a blistering 36-page motion to dismiss the US civil suit brought by Ms Giuffre in which she accuses the Royal of rape.
The 38-year-old, previously known by her maiden named Roberts, claims she was allegedly sex trafficked to Andrew on three occasions by convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, the first time when she was 17 and below the legal age of consent under New York law.
The 61-year-old Duke has consistently and vehemently denied her claims.
Prince Andrew pictured with Virginia Roberts in London in 2001
Virginia Giuffre during a news conference outside Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse on August 27, 2019
In court documents filed on Friday night, Andrew's US legal team called Ms Giuffre's lawsuit 'frivolous', saying: 'She has initiated this baseless lawsuit against Prince Andrew to achieve another payday at his expense.'
The contents of the court papers outraged women's groups and campaigners, with Andrew's lawyers claiming Ms Giuffre had secured sums 'most people could only dream of' by filing lawsuits against Epstein and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, that were settled out of court.
Joan Smith, former co-chairwoman of the Mayor of London's Violence Against Women group said: 'The Duke of York seems to be
