Father of Andrew’s accuser: She’s telling the truth
The father of the Duke of York's accuser has said he knows she is telling the truth.
Andrew is facing fresh scrutiny after Virginia Giuffre's first UK television interview was aired as part of a BBC Panorama investigation into the duke's association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Ms Giuffre claims she was trafficked to London by Epstein and forced to sleep with the duke when she was a teenager, which Andrew categorically denies.
She spoke of how she was left "horrified and ashamed" after the alleged encounter in 2001, saying: "One thing that I can tell you is you never forget the face of someone who has heaved over you."
She claimed she danced with Andrew in Tramp night club, adding he was "the most hideous dancer I've ever seen in my life" and "his sweat was ... raining basically everywhere".
Her father, Sky Roberts, told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "I know she's telling the truth. My daughter is, she's a good girl, she really is."
He added: "I feel really sorry that all this happened, but it did happen and Prince Andrew should pay for it."
'I know she's telling the truth. She's really brave to be going through all this and to come up against these powerful people.'
Sky Roberts, the father of Virginia Giuffre – the US woman who says she was brought to Britain aged 17 to have sex with Prince Andrew – speaks to GMB. pic.twitter.com/gccBmFPvsj
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) December 3, 2019
Mr Roberts expressed his support for Ms Giuffre.
"At the time she was going through it, I had no idea," he said.
"I love my daughter very much. She's really brave to be going through all this and to come up against these powerful people."
The royal family will be out in force at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, at a reception hosted by the Queen for Nato leaders including US President Donald Trump.
But Andrew will be missing, having quit public life in the wake of his disastrous Newsnight interview in which he sought to address Ms Giuffre's claims.
Mr Trump said at the US ambassador's residence when asked about the duke stepping down from royal duties: "I don't know Prince Andrew, but that's a tough story, it's a very tough story."
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said in response to the allegations on Panorama: "It is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation."
