Gloves Off: Prince Andrew Takes New Legal Strategy, Aims to Fight Sex Abuse Allegations, Media Says
07:31 GMT 26.09.2021 (Updated: 15:16 GMT 28.05.2023)
© REUTERS / LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA
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The second son of Queen Elizabeth II, said to be her favourite, has for years been accused by a woman who claims she was forced to sleep with the royal on at least three occasions, including when she was an underage girl. The Duke of York has categorically denied the accusations.
Prince Andrew has adopted a new legal strategy to fight sex abuse claims against him made by Virginia Giuffre, the Daily Mail writes, citing a royal insider. Earlier this month, UK media reported that the Duke of York was “convinced” that the scandal would blow over, but then the prince became "worried" about his future, fearing the lawsuit could drag on for years, and now his mood has allegedly changed again.
According to an ally of the duke, the gloves are off and Prince Andrew will “turn and fight back to clear his name”. A source with knowledge of the legal proceedings told the Daily Mail that Prince Andrew’s decision to hire a "high-profile" US lawyer, Andrew Brettler, to fight the case “marks a significant point in approach".
According to an ally of the duke, the gloves are off and Prince Andrew will “turn and fight back to clear his name”. A source with knowledge of the legal proceedings told the Daily Mail that Prince Andrew’s decision to hire a "high-profile" US lawyer, Andrew Brettler, to fight the case “marks a significant point in approach".
"The US team will be looking to robustly engage and challenge the claims from Mrs Giuffre in a bid to provide the Duke with a platform to finally clear his name. They will be looking to examine and dismantle the claims one by one", the source told the newspaper.
The development comes a day after the royal’s legal team announced that lawyers for Mrs Giuffre had served legal papers on Prince Andrew. The duke’s legal team now has to file a response to a court in New York by 29 October.
Who is Andrew Brettler and What are the Allegations Against Prince Andrew?
Graduate of Brooklyn Law School, the US-based attorney has been dubbed one of Hollywood’s top "power lawyers". He has represented actor Armie Hammer, who was accused of sexual abuse and cannibalism, director Brian Singer, who was accused of sexually assaulting minors, as well as comedian Chris D’Elia, accused of soliciting child pornography.
For years, Virginia Giuffre has accused Prince Andrew of having sexually assaulted her. The 38-year-old is one of the alleged sex slaves of late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who was charged in July 2019 of running a sex trafficking network of minors. Prince Andrew and Epstein were buddies, and the royal admitted to having visited the financier’s numerous mansions and a private island, where dozens of women claim sexual abuse took place.
Mrs Giuffre claims that when she was 17, she was trafficked to London and forced to have sex with Andrew. She also alleges that the Duke slept with her at least two more times. The 61-year-old royal has categorically denied the accusations. In a bid to explain his relationship with the convicted sex offender and clear his name, the duke gave an interview to the BBC. This was several months after Epstein had been arrested and killed himself in his cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
However, the interview resulted in blowback, as the prince took a defiant stance. He appeared to fail to express sympathy for the alleged victims of Epstein and said he didn’t regret his friendship with the sex offender.
His response to Mrs Giuffre’s accusations was widely seen as inconsistent. At first, he said that he had an alibi on the day the alleged sexual intercourse with Giuffre occurred in London. Then he said he had no recollection of meeting the woman. When pressed about a photo showing the two together with Prince Andrew’s arm around Mrs Giuffre’s waist, the duke said: "nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored".
The backlash over his interview prompted Prince Andrew to resign from his royal duties. He was ditched by major companies and patronages that had been working with him and he didn’t attend festive events that are frequented by members of the royal family.
Recently, British writer Nigel Cawthorne urged the royal to relinquish his HRH (His Royal Highness) title while the legal case against him continues.
For years, Virginia Giuffre has accused Prince Andrew of having sexually assaulted her. The 38-year-old is one of the alleged sex slaves of late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who was charged in July 2019 of running a sex trafficking network of minors. Prince Andrew and Epstein were buddies, and the royal admitted to having visited the financier’s numerous mansions and a private island, where dozens of women claim sexual abuse took place.
Mrs Giuffre claims that when she was 17, she was trafficked to London and forced to have sex with Andrew. She also alleges that the Duke slept with her at least two more times. The 61-year-old royal has categorically denied the accusations. In a bid to explain his relationship with the convicted sex offender and clear his name, the duke gave an interview to the BBC. This was several months after Epstein had been arrested and killed himself in his cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.
However, the interview resulted in blowback, as the prince took a defiant stance. He appeared to fail to express sympathy for the alleged victims of Epstein and said he didn’t regret his friendship with the sex offender.
His response to Mrs Giuffre’s accusations was widely seen as inconsistent. At first, he said that he had an alibi on the day the alleged sexual intercourse with Giuffre occurred in London. Then he said he had no recollection of meeting the woman. When pressed about a photo showing the two together with Prince Andrew’s arm around Mrs Giuffre’s waist, the duke said: "nobody can prove whether or not that photograph has been doctored".
The backlash over his interview prompted Prince Andrew to resign from his royal duties. He was ditched by major companies and patronages that had been working with him and he didn’t attend festive events that are frequented by members of the royal family.
Recently, British writer Nigel Cawthorne urged the royal to relinquish his HRH (His Royal Highness) title while the legal case against him continues.
"Andrew is supposed to be an officer and a gentleman, so he should do the decent thing and give up his HRH title. [Prince] Harry and Meghan [Markle] had to stop using their HRH status and they haven’t been accused of anything. But in keeping his titles and his military roles, the Queen has been tainted by the accusations", Cawthorne said.
