Prince Andrew case: From official denials to stripped patronages, a look at key events so far
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Prince Andrew, the queen’s second son, is being sued by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who alleges that Andrew raped and sexually assaulted her in New York in 2001 when she was 17. She claims that Andrew’s friend Jeffery Epstein trafficked her to him and that the prince knew it.
Prince Andrew news - live: Charles brushes off questions that he forced duke out as Giuffre speaks out
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✕ Close Queen strips Prince Andrew of military titles after sex assault case sent to trial
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military titles and will defend a civil sexual assault lawsuit as a “private citizen”, Buckingham Palace announced.
The Duke of York has returned his military appointments and patronages “with the Queen’s approval and agreement” and will no longer be known as His Royal Highness.
On Friday, Prince Charles brushed aside questions about Andrew’s exile from the royal family during a public appearance in Scotland.
Charles and William had been “instrumental” in the the decision and urged the Queen to remove him, according to the Daily Mail.
The decision to demote Prince Andrew came after he failed bid to convince a judge to dismiss a civil case brought by Virginia Giuffre in a federal court in New York.
Ms Giuffre alleges that she was forced to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein’s friends – including the Duke of York – when she was 17. Prince Andrew strongly denies the allegations against him.
Meanwhile, The Times reports that Andrew’s legal team could hear as soon as this weekend whether Sarah Ferguson and Prince Beatrice will face questioning from Ms Giuffre’s lawyers.
Ms Giuffre has said a trial would be “a chance to expose the truth”.
Prince Andrew to provide pre-trial evidence in London, says Virginia Giuffre’s lawyer
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Exclusive
Prince Andrew is likely to provide pre-trial evidence in the sexual assault case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre in legal offices in London, Ms Giuffre’s lawyer has told i.
The Duke of York, who was stripped of his honorary military titles by the Queen yesterday and will no longer use the styling His Royal Highness, is facing civil claims of sexual assault from Ms Giuffre, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking ring. Prince Andrew has consistently denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations.
While Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies is willing to travel to London to depose the Duke during the evidence discovery process, which runs until July, he is likely to make a request to the New York Court where the case is being held that the defendant appears in person during an autumn trial.
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Should Prince Andrew avoid appearing in person before Judge Lewis Kaplan during the trial, Mr Boies has claimed video evidence will not be permitted and that only the Duke’s recorded evidence in London will be shown to the six person civil trial jury.
Mr Boies also believes Ms Giuffre should be permitted to provide her pre-trial evidence from her city of Perth, Australia, where she has lived for 19 years.
Mr Boies told i: “It is planned that both Prince Andrew and Virginia will be deposed in person. He in London. She in Australia.
Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at a New York federal jail in 2019 while awaiting a sex trafficking trial. His death was ruled a suicide (Photo: New York State Sex Offender Registry)
“There will be no video link at the trial. Either people will testify in person, or their depositions will be played.”
Ms Giuffre’s legal team is likely to hire London offices for the purposes of the deposition, and argue against the Duke setting the location for the evidence he provides.
Prince Andrew’s legal team, led by Andrew Brettler, may also request that Judge Kaplan allow him to submit written evidence, but experts expect this to be denied.
Tom Simeone, managing partner of law firm Simeone & Miller, who has represented victims of sexual assault for three decades, believes Judge Kaplan will almost certainly insist the prince appears in person for the trial, should it go ahead if the parties do not reach a multi-million-pound settlement before the case comes to court.
“For the trial itself it’s much, much more likely he’s going to have to come to New York,” said Mr Simeone. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a case, and I’ve been doing this for 30 years, where a defendant can appear by video.”
During any deposition, Mr Boies said, Prince Andrew will be asked to prove the claims he made in the notorious Newsnight interview that he was at Pizza Express in Woking on the night that he is alleged to have assaulted Ms Giuffre at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home, and that he is unable to sweat.
Ms Giuffre has alleged that the Duke “sweated profusely” while dancing with Ms Giuffre at a nightclub in London in March 2001 before moving on to Maxwell’s home.
Prince Andrew categorically denies the claim, as well as other allegations of sexual assault that Ms Giuffre, who was 17 at the time, has alleged took place on Epstein’s private Caribbean island and in his New York mansion.
Mr Boies also confirmed that while Ms Giuffre offered the prince the opportunity to enter mediation before taking court action, there has been no approach from his legal team about settling the case.
Mr Boies said: “We reached out to them before we brought the lawsuit to try to engage and they refused. Their approach to this has been simply to stonewall.
“If we ever got into a discussion, the key would be vindication for Virginia and that could come in a variety of forms. It could come in monetary form, it could come in the form of an apology, there could be some kind of combination.”
The Duke of York with Virginia Giuffre, centre, in the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, right, in 2001 (Photo: US District Court – Southern District of New York/AFP)
On Wednesday Judge Kaplan threw out the Duke’s motion to dismiss the case on the grounds that a 2009 settlement agreement between Epstein and Ms Giuffre provided him with protection from any legal actions connected to the billionaire’s sex trafficking ring.
The Duke’s next likely move will be to again attempt to have the case against him dismissed by Judge Kaplan.
Prince Andrew’s lawyers have asked Ms Giuffre to produce evidence of her domestic arrangements claiming she is not a US resident. She has been set a deadline of today, Friday, to produce the evidence and her legal team will submit it at around midday today – 5pm UK time.
In order to bring a federal lawsuit in the US, one of the parties involved must reside in the country.
While Ms Giuffre continues to live with her family in Australia, Mr Boies will claim she is only required to show she intends to return to the US, where she remains a citizen, to show she is domiciled there.
Ms Giuffre is likely to produce her Colorado driving licence and proof of her voting registration in her home state of Colorado, as well as a statement on her intention to return to the US with her family.
Prince Andrew’s legal team and spokeswoman were contacted for comment.
Explainer-What we know about Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Britain’s Prince Andrew
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By Luc Cohen
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Britain’s Prince Andrew on Thursday had his military links and royal patronages removed, a day after a U.S. judge allowed a civil case brought by Virginia Giuffre accusing the prince of sexually abusing her when she was 17 to move forward.
The following is a summary of the lawsuit and what it means for Andrew:
WHAT ARE GIUFFRE’S CLAIMS AGAINST ANDREW?
Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, sued https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/prince-andrew-is-sued-by-jeffrey-epstein-accuser-over-alleged-sexual-abuse-2021-08-09 the Duke of York in New York in 2021, claiming that he sexually assaulted and battered her.
Giuffre said Andrew forced her to have intercourse at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and Epstein’s longtime associate, and at properties owned by Epstein.
Epstein, a teacher-turned-globetrotting financier, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 at the age of 66 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges. Maxwell, 60, was convicted https://www.reuters.com/world/us/maxwell-jury-resume-deliberations-after-judge-warns-omicron-risk-2021-12-29 on Dec. 29, 2021, of sex trafficking and other crimes.
HOW HAS ANDREW RESPONDED?
Andrew’s lawyers have called the lawsuit “baseless https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/britains-prince-andrew-challenge-us-court-jurisdiction-accusers-lawsuit-2021-09-13" and accused Giuffre of seeking a payday. They argued that Giuffre signed away her right to sue the prince in a 2009 settlement with Epstein, and on Jan. 4 urged U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan to dismiss the lawsuit for that reason.
Andrew, 61, told https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-royals-andrew/prince-andrew-says-he-does-not-recall-meeting-epstein-accuser-idUSKBN1XP2CX the BBC in November 2019 that he could not have had sex with Giuffre at Maxwell’s home because he had returned to his house that night after a children’s party.
WHY DID JUDGE KAPLAN ALLOW THE SUIT TO CONTINUE?
Kaplan said https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-judge-rejects-prince-andrews-bid-dismiss-sex-abuse-accusers-lawsuit-2022-01-12 it was too soon to decide whether Giuffre and Epstein - a convicted sex offender - intended for the 2009 settlement to release Andrew.
He also said it was premature to consider the prince’s efforts to cast doubt on Giuffre’s claims, though he would be able to do so at a trial.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE LAWSUIT FOR ANDREW?
The allegations have done significant damage to the prince’s reputation. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace said https://www.reuters.com/world/us/prince-andrews-legal-team-decline-comment-us-court-decision-2022-01-13 Andrew would no longer be known as “His Royal Highness” after losing his royal and military links, and said he was defending the Giuffre case as a private citizen.
Andrew had already stepped down from public duties days after a November 2019 interview with the BBC in which critics said https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-royals-andrew-duties/britains-prince-andrew-halts-public-duties-over-sex-scandal-idUSKBN1XU2CW he failed to address key questions about his ties to Epstein.
If the case goes to trial and Giuffre wins, Andrew could be ordered to pay Giuffre damages. She has asked for an unspecified amount.
COULD THE LAWSUIT LEAD TO CRIMINAL JEOPARDY FOR ANDREW?
No. Andrew has not been charged criminally, and no criminal charges could result from Giuffre’s lawsuit since it is a civil case.
Andrew repeatedly declined requests by federal prosecutors in the United States for an interview about their probe into Epstein’s sex trafficking, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman said in June 2020.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s office declined to comment. It was not clear if prosecutors still want to talk to Andrew.
WHY DOES GIUFFRE’S SETTLEMENT WITH EPSTEIN MATTER?
The settlement agreement said “any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant from all, and all manner of, action and actions of Virginia Roberts” was released from liability.
David Boies, a lawyer for Giuffre, earlier this month called the liability release in the 2009 settlement “irrelevant” to the case against Andrew.
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE LAWSUIT?
The litigation is at an early stage. Kaplan has said a potential trial https://www.reuters.com/world/us-judge-targets-late-2022-civil-trial-prince-andrew-sex-abuse-case-2021-11-03 could start between September and December 2022.
IS GIUFFRE’S LAWSUIT RELATED TO MAXWELL’S CONVICTION?
No. Giuffre did not testify in Maxwell’s criminal trial, and her allegations did not form the basis of any of the six sex abuse counts against her.
DOES ANDREW’S POSITION AS A PRINCE AFFECT THE CASE?
Diplomats are often entitled to a certain degree of legal immunity in the countries in which they are posted. Heads of state - such as Andrew’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II - are entitled to a degree of immunity as well.
Even before the removal on Thursday of his royal patronages and military links, Andrew did not appear to fit either category, according to Craig Barker, a law professor at London South Bank University.
“There’s nothing I can see in the law that would suggest that he would have any entitlement to immunity whatsoever, whether that be in civil or indeed in criminal matters,” Barker said.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York; Editing by Noeleen Walder, Grant McCool and Daniel Wallis)
Prince Andrew to ‘Fight On’ in Virginia Roberts Giuffre Case, Source Reveals
A defiant Prince Andrew may have been stripped of his HRH by the queen, but he intends to continue fighting Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s allegations that he raped her three times when she was 17 years old, as part of a high stakes gamble to clear his name, a source close to the prince has exclusively told The Daily Beast.
“We are at the very beginning of this case,” the source said, “Obviously, we would have liked to get the case thrown out at the pleading stage. But we’ll continue litigating pursuant to the court’s order.”
Asked about Andrew’s likely course of action in the coming months, the source said, “The fight goes on.”
Another source close to the Duke said, “Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling. However, it was not a judgment on the merits of Ms. Giuffre’s allegations. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and the Duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.”
However, a source close to Andrew told The Daily Beast it was “highly unlikely” the duke would attend any court hearing in person.
The insight into Andrew’s likely legal strategy is the clearest sign yet that the duke, often accused of arrogance, intends to defy calls for him to make a settlement with Giuffre, and will instead continue to pursue an aggressive strategy masterminded by his lawyer, Andrew B. Brettler, that will seek to disparage Giuffre’s character.
A source in Virginia Giuffre’s camp told The Daily Beast, “They have consistently said their plan is to deny everything, so there is no reason to believe that they won’t take this to trial. On the other hand, if they were planning to try and resolve it, they would certainly feign that they were taking it to trial, so it’s hard to know what they have in mind. You just can’t tell.
“It’s hard to believe that they really are going to take this to trial, as there is so much evidence against him, but you would not have predicted they would do what they are doing.”
Sources in Andrew’s camp have previously told The Daily Beast that his accuser’s “credibility” is at the heart of the case.
For example, in legal briefs submitted to the court, Brettler has accused Giuffre of being involved in recruiting other girls to work as masseurs, knowing they would be abused by Epstein and Maxwell.
The strategy has been widely condemned by many observers, who see Andrew seeking to blame a victim of Jeffrey Epstein.
Giuffre’s side have previously told The Daily Beast that these attacks on Giuffre have “absolutely nothing to do with whether Prince Andrew participated in sex trafficking.”
Andrew continues to insist, both privately and publicly, that he has no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre, and strenuously denies her allegations that she was trafficked to him for sexual purposes by Epstein and Maxwell.
Andrew’s defiant stance came after he was humiliatingly stripped of his titles, military associations, and royal patronages Thursday, in a comprehensive ex-communication from royal life by the queen.
Andrew was photographed earlier in the day for the first time since a judge handed down a decision Wednesday, rejecting Andrew’s claim that he was protected from legal action by Giuffre by the terms of a $500,000 settlement signed in 2009 between Giuffre and Epstein. Giuffre accused Epstein of trafficking her.
The grim-faced prince was pictured being driven in a Range Rover from his home, Royal Lodge, in Windsor Great Park, in the direction of Windsor Castle where the queen now lives.
It is likely he was visiting Her Majesty to discuss his final humiliation, but Buckingham Palace declined to say whether Andrew had visited the queen today, or if they had a face to face conversation about the move, which will see him banned from styling himself as “His Royal Highness.”
The revelation of Andrew’s confrontational stance in the ongoing civil trial came after Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, told The Daily Beast that his client was looking forward to having her allegations against her alleged abuser heard in court.
Boies later told the BBC that Giuffre would be unlikely to accept a “purely financial” settlement, suggesting that even if Andrew or his family were willing and able to pay her off, she would not be content with the usual formulation whereby no admission of guilt is written into the contract.
“ I think it’s very important to Virginia Giuffre that this matter be resolved in a way that vindicates her and vindicates the other victims…a purely financial settlement is not anything that I think she’s interested in. ” — David Boies
Boies said: “I think it’s very important to Virginia Giuffre that this matter be resolved in a way that vindicates her and vindicates the other victims…a purely financial settlement is not anything that I think she’s interested in.”
The revelation that Andrew intends to continue fighting the case comes after he was stripped of his remaining royal honors. One hundred-fifty military veterans earlier wrote to the queen, who is commander-in-chief of the armed forces, saying it was “untenable” for Andrew to retain his position.
“Were this any other senior military officer it is inconceivable that he would still be in post,” the letter, first reported by the Guardian, said.
Andrew’s camp tried to spin yesterday’s decision as an agreed move rather than one imposed from the top, but Andrew’s unwillingness to voluntarily give up the honors and military roles before now has underscored, for many, his refusal to countenance that he will never again return to a prominent position in public life.
While his mother is alive, he will likely retain her personal affection and continue to be invited to private family gatherings. However, an incoming King Charles could act with much greater ruthlessness towards his younger brother, whom he reportedly dislikes.
Charles and his son William are also thought to be hugely opposed to any deal whereby the monarch’s private income is used to bail Andrew out, either by covering legal fees or a settlement.
Andrew is thought to have promised to pay his own legal bills and is expected to use the proceeds of the sale of his $22 million Swiss ski lodge for this purpose.
A source told The Daily Beast that a buyer for the property has been found, saying, “The sale is proceeding, but not yet completed.”
While there is a school of thought in the family that Andrew should “sort out his own mess,” the royals will also be acutely aware that if Andrew sticks to his plan to fight on, and the case is dragged through the courts for much of this year, revelations and lurid claims about Andrew’s sex life could overshadow the platinum jubilee celebrations.
Thursday’s move to completely expel him from the formal and ceremonial life of the family could be read as a strategic acknowledgment of that reality.
Given that this is a civil trial, Andrew would not be required to appear in person as a witness, but videotaped excerpts of his deposition would likely be played for jurors.