Virginia Giuffre’s father has accused Prince Andrew of ‘victim-blaming’ after the royal’s legal team requested the sex-abuse lawsuit be thrown out.

In a relentless attack on the Duke of York, Sky Roberts called him ‘a coward’ and said he is ‘playing a game’.

Ms Giuffre claims the prince sexually abused her when she was 17 after she was trafficked by his friends Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Court documents reveal the 38-year-old is seeking unspecified damages and claims to have been ‘lent out for sexual purposes’ by the late convicted sex offender between 2000 and 2002.

Her 65-year-old dad told the Mirror: ‘He is playing a game and he is bluffing. He doesn’t have a strong hand. Do you think my daughter wants to go through this stuff?

‘She has kids. Do you think she wants to go back there after all that happened?

‘No. She is doing it because it’s right. It’s ridiculous for him to say that Virginia’s hands are unclean or she has skeletons in her closet, or whatever.’

If a trial demanded by the duke goes ahead, Mr Roberts said he would ‘stand up in court’ and ‘tell them the truth’.

This comes just days after Andrew formally denied Ms Giuffre’s claims.

His lawyers asked for a jury trial, reportedly against the expectations of the Royal Family that he would seek to settle out of the public eye.

According to a source quoted by The Sun, neither Prince Charles nor Prince William want the case being dragged on.

In legal paperwork filed in New York, the royal makes 41 denials, rejecting all allegations of wrongdoing.

He also submitted 11 reasons why the high-profile case should be dismissed, including that Ms Giuffre’s claims are ‘barred by the doctrine of consent’ and by ‘her own wrongful conduct’.

Commenting on Andrew’s legal response, Mr Roberts said this is ‘the coward’s way out to try to blame the victim.’

In his infamous Newsnight interview in 2019, Andrew questioned the authenticity of a photo showing him with his arm around his accuser at Maxwell’s home in London.

At the time, he said he had ‘no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever’.

Mr Roberts also insisted that if he had admitted sexually abused his daughter and apologised, she would have not been trying to ‘hurt him’ financially.

A spokesperson for Prince Andrew did not wish to comment on the accusations.

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