When two guests on Good Morning Britain butted heads over Prince Andrew, host Susanna Reid felt obligated to step in and put a stop to the discussion by emphasising that “you cannot disparage victims of sex trafficking.” She did so by saying that “you cannot smear victims of sex trafficking.”
On the show that aired on ITV on Thursday, Susanna and Ben Shephard were joined live in the studio by two guests: the socialist Lady Victoria Hervey, who had a romantic relationship with the Duke of York in the past, and Dr. Charlotte Proudman, a barrister and equality advocate.
They explored the allegation that the late Queen Elizabeth II apparently considered that conducting charitable work may be a path back for Prince Andrew into the public spotlight, in response to the charges that Virginia Giuffre brought against him.
After being trafficked by the paedophile millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, Ms. Giuffre said that she was coerced into having sex with Andrew when she was 17 years old. Despite the fact that Prince Andrew denied ever seeing Ms. Giuffre, he was able to strike an out-of-court settlement with her for an amount that was thought to be over £12 million.
Lady Victoria vigorously defended Prince Andrew on Good Morning Britain, asserting that he is “going to battle” Ms. Giuffre in the wake of a story from one month ago saying that he had amassed a £10 million fund in preparation for a court lawsuit against her.
Despite the fact that Prince Andrew issued a statement after the settlement that read, “Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others,” Lady Victoria repeatedly referred to Ms. Giuffre as “a liar” while claiming that “This was never sex trafficking.” Lady Victoria’s comments came in response to Ms. Giuffre’s claim that “This was never s
‘He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims,’ the statement continued.
During the course of the interview with GMB, Lady Victoria made a request to the hostess, Susanna, that she place a live bet with her on the outcome of whether or not her statements made in defence of Prince Andrew were accurate. Susanna declined Lady Victoria’s request.
The socialite continued by stating that she is certain that Prince Andrew would collaborate with charitable organisations in the future, while Dr. Charlotte began her response by stating: ‘I think it’s absolutely perverse to suggest that the role of…’.
However, Lady Victoria cut in to add that Susanna was’smirking’ over her words, which caused the conversation to continue.
‘I’m not smirking Lady Victoria,’ the broadcaster replied, as Lady Victoria added: ‘Can we do a bet right now, live on air?’
‘No, I’m not making a bet with you at all. I think that’s outrageous,’ Susanna stated.
Dr. Charlotte was then able to finally conclude what she had been saying, as she spoke the following words: “I believe that it’s ridiculous to argue that the duty of charity is to rehabilitate the image of someone who is accused of sex trafficking.” Giving back is the purpose of volunteering for charitable organisations.
The bold remarks made by Lady Victoria persisted, and at one point she declared, “A lot of these females are liars.” A good many of these females have lied about it.
Susanna made an effort to put a stop to the discussion at that same moment by making the following declaration: ‘I’m going to bring the interview to an end because you cannot smear victims of sex trafficking who’ve already been through hell. You cannot smear them as liars.’
Susanna was had to intervene once again in order to bring the interview to a close as Lady Victoria continued to talk.
‘As our barrister here at the desk reminds everybody, there are convictions here in this case and we’re not going to take issue with those,’ she said.
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays from 6am on ITV.
