Virginia Giuffre’s family say “our broken hearts have been lifted” by the arrest of former Prince Andrew

I Virginia Giuffre’s familywho is suspected of being trafficked to have sex with him the former Prince Andrew when he was young, he thanked the British police on Thursday after his arrest accused of misconduct in public office.

“Finally, today, our broken hearts are lifted to the news that no one is above the law, not even royalty,” the Giuffre brothers said in a statement shared with CBS News.

“On behalf of my sister, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, we extend our gratitude to the UK’s Thames Valley Police for their investigation, and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor,” said Sky and Amanda Roberts and Danny and Lanette Wilson. “He didn’t become a prince. For survivors everywhere, Virginia did this for you.”

Giuffre, an American who was one of the public accusers of a convicted sex offender. Jeffrey Epstein, he died by suicide last year at the age of 41. She accused Mountbatten-Windsor – the former Prince Andrew – of beating her on three separate occasions when she was 17, which she denied.

Giuffre said in a lawsuit filed in New York in 2021 that the assault was carried out by Epstein, whom he accused of smuggling him to Mountabatten-Windsor.

Mountabatten-Windsor denied his allegations but reached a contract with him in 2022paying him around $16 million, according to British media reports.

The UK’s Thames Valley Police confirmed earlier this month that it was investigating claims against Mountbatten-Windsor that it appeared on the US Department of Justice’s recent release of the Epstein files to determine whether an official investigation was warranted. Police said Thursday they arrested a “60-year-old Norfolk man” as part of an investigation and “suspected of misconduct in public office.” They said they were searching areas in Berkshire and Norfolk.

Andrew’s arrest came about two weeks after the anti-monarchy movement he asked the police to investigate documents show he shared secret government information with Epstein when the monarchy acted as Britain’s trade envoy. King Charles III, Mountabatten-Windsor’s brother, had it shown that the British royal family will cooperate when the police come to ask questions about their younger brother.

“This is a historic moment in the pursuit of justice for the Epstein survivors,” Sigrid McCawley, the attorney representing Giuffre, said in a statement Thursday.

“Virginia Guiffre has worked for years to shed light on the crimes committed by Epstein and his associates and to send a message that no one should be above the law and the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor today is a step toward accountability,” McCawley said.

Giuffre shared her story in her posthumous memoir, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice.”