Prince Andrew - Abuse allegations to go to court

Created: 2022-01-27Updated: 2022-01-27 10:58 am

Prince Andrew, Duke of York, denies all allegations.

© Neil Hall/PA Wire/dpa

Prince Andrew has vehemently denied any allegations of abuse.

But the prospect of Andrew's trial in the Queen's 70th anniversary year should set alarm bells ringing in the palace.

New York / London - Britain's Prince Andrew wants to face a jury trial in the legal dispute over allegations of abuse.

This emerges from a document that his lawyers filed in court in New York on Wednesday.

He continues to vehemently deny the allegations.

It still doesn't seem too late for an out-of-court settlement.

But that's not in Andrew's hands.

Plaintiff Virginia Giuffre accuses Andrew of repeatedly abusing her when she was a minor.

She claims to have been a victim of an abuse ring set up by US multi-millionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his ex-partner Ghislaine Maxwell.

According to her own statements, she was mediated to the Royal for abuse.

Maxwell, who has been friends with Andrew for many years, was recently found guilty on several counts in a US criminal case and faces a long prison sentence.

Epstein took his own life while in custody in 2019.

The prince again rejects the allegations

Now the prince is combative.

The document, filed in federal court in Manhattan, again dismisses the allegations and lists 11 reasons why the civil suit should be dismissed.

Among other things, Andrew's attorneys allege that plaintiff Giuffre was guilty of her own crimes, a claim that her attorneys met with fierce opposition.

"We look forward to confronting Prince Andrew at his interrogation and trial about his denial and attempts to blame Ms. Giuffre for her abuse," plaintiff attorney David Boies said .

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Prince Andrew's abuse trial is approaching

Maxwell case puts pressure on Prince Andrew

Maxwell case puts pressure on Prince Andrew

It is unclear whether the 61-year-old prince actually wants to go to trial in the year of his mother Queen Elizabeth II's platinum throne anniversary (95).

An out-of-court settlement has not yet been ruled out, said US legal expert Neama Rahmani of the German Press Agency.

Giuffre is suing for an unspecified amount of damages.

According to speculation, it could be worth millions.

If the trial goes ahead, Andrew will have to face detailed questions of a sexual nature, media lawyer Mark Stephens warned, according to the PA news agency.

"I can't imagine the royal family allowing him to do that and overshadow the platinum jubilee with it," Stephens said.

Otherwise, the entire monarchy could be called into question, he warned.

The prince shows a defiant attitude

But despite Andrew's defiant attitude, it is not in his power to avert a court hearing.

It is Giuffre's "constitutional right to have a jury trial if she requests it," US victim advocate Lisa Bloom told the BBC.

Judging by Giuffre's comments, it's possible that a cash payment won't get her to drop the lawsuit.

"My goal has always been to show that the rich and powerful are not above the law and need to be held accountable," she wrote on Twitter just under two weeks ago.

There are - officially at least - no criminal investigations against Andrew. But the damage to his reputation, and that of the royal family, is already considerable. At the end of 2019, Andrew resigned from his public duties for the Royals. Organizations that he had served as a patron, row after row, distanced themselves from him. He had previously tried to justify himself in a BBC interview - but the shot backfired. His explanations sounded implausible and only made the situation worse.

Most recently, the Queen also distanced herself - according to reports, under pressure from heir to the throne Prince Charles (73) and his son Prince William (39), who are concerned about the continued existence of the monarchy.

She also stripped Andrew of his military ranks.

He also has to do without the salutation "Royal Highness".

Buckingham Palace announced in mid-January that Andrew would defend himself in the US process as a private citizen and would no longer take on any public royal duties.

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