This Morning star breaks down in tears amid ‘relief’ at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrest

Ashley James was moved to tears by an interview with Virginia Giuffre’s family

This Morning star Ashley James broke down in tears during a segment on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, telling the show’s hosts she felt “a huge sense of relief” when the Royal was taken into custody.

After weeks of fresh scrutiny over his historic communications with the late paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew was on Thursday (19 February) arrested on suspicion of misconduct in a public office.

The former prince’s headline-dominating arrest was addressed on Friday’s (20 February) episode of This Morning, and the discussion started with a clip of Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre’s loved ones being interviewed.

James then said: “I feel very emotional watching this, actually.”

“There's a reason I feel so upset about it,” she added, through tears. “So many of us have watched the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein try to get justice and I felt a huge sense of relief yesterday watching Andrew be arrested.”

James broke down in tears (ITV)

She added: "Of course, his arrest is about state matters and not about the alleged sexual abuse of Virginia Giuffre, who is of course, no longer here."

Giuffre died by suicide in April last year at the age of 41. She had accused Epstein of sex trafficking her, and said she met Andrew through his friend.

In her posthumous memoir, Nobody’s Girl, Giuffre said she had three sexual encounters with Andrew over the years. He has always vehemently denied this and claims to have never met Giuffre, suggesting a photograph of them together was edited.

Giuffre said she met Andrew when she was 17 years old (US Department of Justice)

In 2022, the then-prince paid a reported £12m to Giuffre to settle a civil sexual assault outside of court.

James, who revealed earlier this month that she was raped while at university around 17 years ago, continued: "As a survivor of sexual assault, you question the system that makes it so difficult for survivors to speak out.

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“And I just want to commend the bravery of Virginia because if she hadn't come forward, we may not have learnt this about Andrew."

Giuffre’s brother, Skye Roberts, had said in the interview clip: “We have to acknowledge that we wouldn't be here without my sister and the brave survivors who have come forward.”

Recent scrutiny over Andrew has been fuelled by the release of some three million ‘Epstein files’ documents.

The US government’s justice department dropped the tranche of emails, photographs, videos and deposition notes in late January.

Andrew, seen here in September last year, was arrested on Thursday (Getty Images)

Journalists and members of the public alike have been poring over the files, which include a photograph of Andrew on all fours over a woman, whose identity has been redacted, and multiple emails between the former Duke of York, his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and Epstein.

The files also contain emails that suggest Epstein was considering an investment in the now-defunct record company EMI to secure access to women.

Andrew isn’t the only British public figure facing security over his relationship with Epstein. Lord Peter Mandelson was sacked from his post as UK ambassador to the US last September, after fresh revelations about his relationship with Epstein, who he once called his “best pal”.

Mandelson then resigned from the House of Lords and the Labour Party earlier this month, after the latest Epstein files included yet more emails between the pair, including ones that suggest Lord Mandelson shared confidential government information with the disgraced billionaire.