Prince Andrew's Attack on Accuser Virginia Giuffre May Backfire in Court, Lawyers Say

The Duke of York has been accused by American Virginia Giuffre of having sex with her when she was an underage girl. Prince Andrew has categorically denied the accusations, with his image having been tarnished since the case received widespread media coverage in 2019. The royal was later ditched by patronages and organisations who worked with him.

Prince Andrew's attack on his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, may backfire in court, lawyers have said. This comes several days after the royal's legal team harshly criticised the woman in a court filing in which they asked a US judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit against the Duke of York.

Lawyers, who spoke with The Guardian, described criticism of Mrs Giuffre as a highly risky strategy that may further damage Prince Andrew's reputation. Mark Stephens, a partner at Howard Kennedy and a UK media law expert, said Prince Andrew has potentially opened himself up to further embarrassment due to the contradictory nature of his statements.

"The problem, of course, is that he's now embarked on a route towards a case. He's saying it should be struck out because she's unreliable but also that he's covered by the plea deal from Epstein in any event, which seemed to be sort of contradictory", he said, adding that the best thing for the royal to do is to clear his name during a court hearing.

A senior partner at a leading London law firm, who did want to be named, described the attack on Giuffre as a "smokescreen" that has "no legal relevance whatsoever".

"A jury might think, 'This is an American citizen, and who's this prince trying to blacken the character of one of our own?', so it's a high-risk strategy even with a jury, I would have thought", the solicitor said.

Accusations Against Prince Andrew and Recent Filing

Virginia Giuffre, is one of the alleged sex slaves of Jeffrey Epstein, a US financier and millionaire, who had many acquaintances in high circles, including politicians, actors, billionaires, entrepreneurs, and royals, including Prince Andrew. Giuffre claims that when she was a minor she was trafficked to London by Epstein and his alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, a well-known UK socialite, and was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew.

The 38-year-old alleges that the royal slept with her at least two more times without her consent. She first came forward with accusations in the early 2010s, but the case only received widespread attention in 2019 when Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on charges of running a sex trafficking network of minors, prompting dozens of women to accuse the financier of wrongdoing.

On 9 August, Mrs Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in New York seeking "accountability" from Prince Andrew and demanding an unspecified amount in damages from the royal.

The Duke of York has denied the accusations against him, saying he has an alibi for the day the alleged sexual intercourse occurred in London and said he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.

However, his remarks were questioned as there is at least one photo showing the royal with a young Giuffre, reportedly at Ghislaine Maxwell's mansion, with Prince Andrew’s hand on the girl's waist. A London resident claims to have seen him dancing with Giuffre at a nightclub on the day the alleged sexual intercourse occurred.

Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell. This photo was included in an affidavit in which Giuffre alleged that she was directed to have sex with Andrew

© Photo : Florida Southern District Court

Last week, the royal's legal team filed a motion, asking the judge to dismiss the case against him. The court documents state that Virginia Giuffre seeks a "payday" at Andrew's expense. In the motion, Mrs Giuffre is described as a "money-hungry sex kitten", with the Duke of York's legal team claiming that she was part of Jeffrey Epstein's paedophile ring and recruited girls for the financier.

Thomas Garner, a partner at Fladgate, said the attack on Mrs Giuffre shows that the gloves are off and that Prince Andrew intends to fight his accuser to the bitter end even if this strategy might do "irreparable" damage to his reputation.

"If there was any doubt as to how he would handle the claim, this application makes it clear that if [the judge] doesn't dismiss the claim then Prince Andrew intends to go on the attack", he said.