London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Sep 11, 2026

Idea of Prince Andrew supporting trafficking victims ‘ridiculous’ says Jess Phillips

Idea of Prince Andrew supporting trafficking victims ‘ridiculous’ says Jess Phillips

Labour MP says she ‘can’t see him being welcome’ by charities working with victims of sexual violence

Prince Andrew will not be welcome in any role supporting victims of sex trafficking and shows a sense of entitlement in thinking he has something to offer, according to the Labour MP Jess Phillips.

Phillips, a former Labour leadership contender who campaigns for women’s rights, said the idea that Prince Andrew could help support victims of trafficking was “ridiculous” after he came to a multimillion-pound civil settlement with Virgina Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her on three occasions when she was 17, which he denied.

In a joint statement on the settlement, Prince Andrew had pledged to “demonstrate his regret for his association” with the sex offender financier Jeffrey Epstein, by supporting the “fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims”.

But Phillips said this was inappropriate, even aside from Giuffre’s allegations, given some of his lawyers’s arguments during the case.

“His response to the case throughout broke every myth and stereotype, from slut shaming to referring to [Giuffre] wanting a payday,” Phillips said.

“The behaviour that has been displayed throughout the last four years does not speak to somebody who could be an ally to victims of sexual violence.”

Phillips also said it was not the responsibility of campaigners and charities working to end violence against women “to offer any redemption”.

“We’ve got a lot on without rehabilitating princes,” she said.

Phillips said the statement had almost certainly had to be agreed with Giuffre’s lawyers but the reality of his words were that they “speak of entitlement”.

“What exactly has Prince Andrew got to offer victims of sexual violence? Does he have any skills? I heard, in genuinely good faith, people working with military charities saying he would turn up to things and have something to contribute. But – even without the accusations against him, unproven as they may be – why do they think we need his help like a white knight on a horse? I can’t see him being welcome.”

Many in the sector suggested charities would prefer not to have a public association with the prince and questioned whether it was appropriate for him to offer.

Jayne Butler, the chief executive of Rape Crisis England & Wales, said offers to support victims and survivors of abuse “do feel cynical when Prince Andrew’s legal team demonstrated so much disrespect for Ms Giuffre and a complete disregard for how their victim-blaming actions would affect other victims and survivors”.

“We would suggest that Prince Andrew instead considers looking into supporting prevention work aimed at perpetrators, rather than suggesting he is in any way placed to support victims,” she added.


Hera Hussain, the founder and head of Chayn, which supports survivors of gender-based violence, said Prince Andrew could “donate anonymously if he truly cares about these causes but he absolutely, irrevocably, should not, under any circumstances use these donations to absolve himself from his conduct outside of the trial or rebuild his image”.

“That would be charity-washing. He should not associate himself with any campaign or charity that works on this very critical and poorly resourced cause,” she added.

One member of a leading organisation said they would be “very surprised” if any charity that supports victims – outside of Giuffre’s Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (Soar) – agreed to accept funds or other support directly from the prince. “It’s not a judgment on his guilt, but it’s important for charities to be seen to do the right thing.”

Several leading charities that support survivors of sex trafficking declined to comment on Prince Andrew’s pledge. Some pointed to the prince’s daughter, Princess Eugenie of York’s involvement in the sector, suggesting that many charities would be unwilling to speak out for fear of undermining her work or alienating other royal patrons. She founded the Anti-Slavery Collective in 2017, an organisation whose mission is raising awareness, including of people in forced sexual exploitation.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
English Councils to Gain Power to Introduce Tourist Taxes by 2028
Kemi Badenoch Reshuffles Conservative Shadow Cabinet
Firefighters Make Progress Containing Major Wildfires in South Wales
John Lewis Partnership Reports £124 Million Loss
Study Says UK AI Data Centres Will Create Only a Quarter of Forecast Jobs
UK Government Considers Higher Industrial Water Prices Amid Supply Pressures
Andy Burnham Holds First Call With Donald Trump as UK Prime Minister
NHS Records Busiest Summer on Record as Heatwaves Drive Hospital Admissions
Home Secretary Orders Police Crackdown on Far-Right Anti-Migrant Vigilantes
UK Supreme Court Rules Northern Ireland Religious Education Curriculum Breaches Human Rights Standards
Markets Price in Four Bank of England Rate Rises by Next Summer
House of Commons Prepares Free Vote on Assisted Dying Bill
UK Government Bans Trade With Israeli Settlements in Occupied Territories
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in July as Artificial Intelligence Investment Supports Expansion
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister After Keir Starmer Resigns
John Lewis Partnership Loss Widens to £124 Million
UK Government to Put White Working-Class Social Mobility at Centre of Equality Policy
McLaren Plans £450 Million Technology Investment Creating 1,000 UK Jobs
UK Chancellor Faces Calls for Wealth Taxes and Public Ownership in Autumn Budget
English Mayors to Gain Powers to Impose Uncapped Overnight Tourist Taxes
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Government Against Bank Windfall Taxes
UK Air Traffic Control Outage Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
UK Imposes Trade Ban on Israeli Settlements in the West Bank
UK Borrowing Costs Surge as Middle East Tensions Push Long-Term Gilt Yields to Highest Since 1998
Buckingham Palace Says Prince Harry and Meghan Will Not Resume Official Royal Duties
UK Treasury Faces Calls to Scrap £100,000 Childcare Support Threshold
Trades Union Congress Urges Labour Government to Rewrite Migration Policy
Riot Police Deployed After Anti-Migrant Protests Turn Violent in Portsmouth
UK Considers Replacing Some Disability Cash Payments With Direct Services
JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon Warns UK Chancellor Against Higher Banking Taxes
UK Announces New Sanctions Targeting Israeli Settlements in West Bank
Metropolitan Police Investigate Alleged Illegal Donations to Reform UK
UK Charges Wiltshire Man With Assisting Russian Intelligence
UK Orders Urgent Review After Air Traffic Failure Cancels More Than 2,000 Flights
Merz Rebukes AfD Expansion in Saxony-Anhalt
King Charles Confirms Prince Harry and Meghan Will Remain Private Citizens
Labour Selects Former Child Refugee for By-Election in Keir Starmer’s Former Seat
Foreign Private Equity Accelerates Takeovers of London-Listed Industrial Companies
NHS Maternity Care Faces Scrutiny Over Support for Mothers After Caesarean Births
BBC Warns Staff Strikes Are Likely Amid Job Cuts and Programme Cancellations
English Housing Affordability Improves to Best Level in More Than a Decade
UK Health Commission Proposes Framework for Wider AI Adoption Across NHS
Labour Faces Pressure for Wealth Tax Ahead of Autumn Budget
Metropolitan Police Open Criminal Investigation Into Alleged Foreign Donations to Reform UK
UK Police Deploy Riot Officers After Anti-Immigration Unrest in Portsmouth and Dover
UK Defends Sanctions on Israeli Settlements Despite Diplomatic Retaliation
UK Air Traffic Control Failure Cancels More Than 1,000 Flights and Disrupts 65,000 Passengers
Compass Urges £10 Million Wealth Tax and Public Ownership Ahead of UK Autumn Budget
UK Government’s Devolution Plans Face House of Lords Scrutiny
Maldives Seeks New Chagos Sovereignty Talks With UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham
×