Prince Andrew, the Duke of Windsor and son of Queen Elizabeth, has been served with a civil lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre, his long-standing sexual abuse accuser.

Giuffre was a victim of sex trafficking by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and British-American socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. She has accused Prince Andrew of abusing her when she was 17 in New York, at a home owned by Maxwell in London and on Epstein’s private island, Little St. James. The Prince and the royal family have denied any wrongdoing, and Andrew himself has denied knowing Giuffre despite contradictory photographs of the two together.

Epstein was arrested by the FBI on July 6, 2019, at his townhouse in New York City, where they found photographs of nude and semi-nude women, including some who appeared to be underage. They also found a safe full of cash, a false passport and a stash of valuables. On July 16, Epstein was found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide.

Maxwell initially went into hiding after Epstein’s arrest and suicide. She was arrested on July 2, 2020 by the FBI in New Hampshire and later charged in New York with eight federal crimes including enticement of minors, sex trafficking, and perjury. Maxwell has pled not guilty and her first trial date is slated for Nov. 29, 2021.

According to Giuffre, now 38, her lawsuit was filed in federal court in Manhattan under the New York Child Victims Act. The affidavit states that the London Metropolitan Police Department and the Head of Security for the Royal Lodge acknowledged receipt of the lawsuit. Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, said that the Prince has been going to great lengths to avoid receiving the summons and has secluded himself from public appearances.

Andrew has not made any significant public appearances since Epstein’s arrest. British tabloids report that he was seen going to the Royal Lodge in Windsor that he shares with his ex-fiancee Sarah Ferguson and later to the royal family’s mansion in Balmoral, Scotland.

The Prince initially said he would be happy to speak to the FBI and federal prosecutors, but the former U.S. Attorney in charge of the case publicly said that Andrew has offered “zero cooperation.”

An initial hearing is scheduled for Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew in Manhattan on Sept. 13.

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