Virginia Giuffre’s family says U.S. government response to Epstein files is “shameful”

The family of Virginia Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to engage in sex with former Prince Andrew, said they are happy about the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in the U.K., but said it is “shameful” that there haven’t been similar repercussions in the United States. 

Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested Thursday for suspected misconduct in public office stemming from revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files.   

Giuffre’s brother, Sky Roberts, told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett in an emotional interview that he learned about the arrest at 3 a.m.

“We had this just like boost of adrenaline that it almost felt surreal,” he said. 

“And then, you know, following that boost of emotion or that boost of joy, really, vindication for Virginia,” he said. “I mean, I can tell you, it’s been kind of an up and down day. We’ve had a lot of a mix of emotions. I found myself crying in a restaurant earlier for really no other reason than just that we miss her. We wish she was here to see this, and this is a day for her survivor sisters. This is a day that they were wanting for a long time, and I think it gives a little bit of vindication to her and to her survivor sisters.” 

Giuffre died by suicide last year at age 41. She had accused Mountbatten-Windsor, former Prince Andrew, of assaulting her on three separate occasions when she was 17. He has denied those allegations. Mountbatten-Windsor reached a settlement with her in 2022, paying her some $16 million, according to British media reports.   

“We would have been calling Virginia and screaming and rejoicing with her,” said Amanda Roberts, Sky’s wife and Virginia’s sister-in-law. “And so the flood of that, like, mixed emotion, you know, we’ve had some really rough moments today, but we also want to continue on the path of victory. We want to take this as a win and keep pushing forward.” 

Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles III, was arrested on his 66th birthday. The arrest wasn’t directly related to accusations of sexual trafficking or abuse, but came about two weeks after an anti-royal organization called for police to investigate documents in the Epstein files that indicated the former prince had shared confidential government information with the late American sex offender when the royal worked as a British trade envoy.  

The Thames Valley Police said Thursday it had arrested a man in his 60s “on suspicion of misconduct in public office.” Mountbatten-Windsor, 66, was released after about 12 hours but is still under investigation. 

“We’re incredibly proud of her,” Sky Roberts said of Giuffre. “And there’s one moment that really resonates in my mind. And I remember the moment where she said, ‘He knows what he did. I know what he did, and there’s only one of us telling the truth, and I know that’s me.’ And that keeps resonating in my head today.” 

Amanda Roberts said the former prince’s arrest was Giuffre’s “character coming to fruition today.”

Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last year amid renewed criticism over his relationship with Epstein and Giuffre’s allegations.   

Amanda Roberts said Thursday’s charges, while not directly related to her sister-in-law’s allegations, are still very serious.

“I do want to reiterate that is punishable by life in the U.K. So that is a very extreme punishment, and we welcome that,” she said. “But we also want to say that this is the beginning of the web. This is the thread that we need to continue to pull to uncover the further allegations. We hope the U.K. is persistent in that, and we know that if they really follow this trail, they will get there as well.”

“And we’re expecting the same acts to happen here in the United States,” she added. “And it’s been very shameful to not see that come from our own government.”

Sky Roberts also criticized the contrasting responses between the U.S. and U.K. governments, saying, “You have our own administration here basically telling the American public that, you know, we’re going to move on from this. And the reality is that the American public is screaming back at them, along with survivors and our survivor sisters, saying well, you might be ready to move on, but we’re not.”

“This is a stain on American history,” he added.

Amanda Roberts said she had “zero confidence” in Attorney General Pam Bondi or the Justice Department to carry out proper investigations into those implicated in the files.

“We need to look at our representatives. We need to look at Congress to take whatever actions necessary to keep pushing this forward,” she said. “It must be uncovered. We must see further indictments. And I would say this: Anyone in our administration, especially in the Department of Justice, if you are not willing to expose predators and do right by the survivors in this case, then you should resign.”

Sky Roberts also had harsh words for previous administrations, saying, “Quite frankly, every administration prior to this, they’re in the same boat where they likely didn’t do right by survivors.”

“My hope is that this is just a cause-and-effect moment, that the domino has finally fallen, that the next series of house of cards are about to show their face,” he said. “We have to take action off of this. And the way that the U.K. responds, the way that they treat this investigation, is going to set the tone for the rest of all of the other investigations that are going to take place.”

Speaking to members of the U.S. government, Sky Roberts said, “Pick up your baby girls tonight, look them in the face, tell them you did nothing. Or pick them up and tell them, you know, ‘Mommy and daddy are fighting. We’re going to do this for you. This next generation deserves better.'”

Amanda said that while the issue may be political, “it’s not partisan.”

“I also want to tell every single survivor out there that this day is for you, and that ordinary people like Virginia can do extraordinary things, no matter the trauma and pain that you’ve lived through,” she said. “And we’re here for you. We see you, and we’re going to keep fighting, and we’re going to pull you over that finish line.”  

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