Prince Andrew last night demanded a ‘trial by jury’ as he hit back at
accusations of rape and sexual assault made by a Jeffrey Epstein ‘sex slave’.
In his official response to claims made against him by Virginia Roberts
five months ago, the Queen’s son issued 41 denials, rejecting all allegations
of wrongdoing – but said a further 40 times that he ‘lacks sufficient
information to admit or deny’ other claims.
He also submitted 11 defenses calling for the case to be dismissed,
including that Miss Roberts’ claims should be barred by ‘her own wrongful
conduct’ and ‘unclean hands’. His decision to go ahead with the case puts him
in contravention with the Royal Family who, sources say, are ‘desperate’ for
him to settle and avoid the spectacle of a trial in New York later this year
during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
A source said: ‘Andrew is on collision course with the Palace over
this.’ Earlier this month the Queen ‘swiftly and ruthlessly’ forced Andrew to
step down from his remaining royal patronages and demanded he fights the case as
a ‘private citizen’.
Andrew had not officially responded to the 73-point civil claim as his
lawyers almost immediately applied to a New York judge for it to be thrown out.
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Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts, aged 17, and
Ghislaine Maxwell at Ghislaine Maxwell’s townhouse in London, Britain on March
13, 2001. Roberts, who is referred to in case documents by her married
name Virginia Giuffre, filed a civil suit against Prince Andrew in August 2021,
in which she formally accused the Royal of sexual abuse while she was being
trafficked by billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein
That was dismissed earlier this month, meaning he now needs to formally
answer the accusations against him, including claims that Miss Roberts, suing
under her married name of Giuffre, was trafficked to him by his friend,
paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and forced to have sex with the duke on three occasions
when she was 17.
She says this amounts to rape, sexual assault and battery as she seeks
unspecified damages, thought to be in the millions of pounds. Andrew’s eight
admissions were limited to information already public, such as that he is a UK
citizen and resides at Royal Lodge on the Windsor Estate.
He admits his walk with Epstein in Central Park in 2010 and staying at
the paedophile’s Manhattan mansion on the same trip, both caught on camera. But
in his rebuttal of Miss Roberts’ complaint, Andrew denies he ever sexually
abused her and refuses to ‘admit or deny’ her assertions that she was a victim
of Epstein.
He even – quite remarkably given photographic evidence of their
relationship over the years – denies being a ‘close friend’ of Epstein’s
girlfriend and now convicted sex trafficker, Ghislaine Maxwell.
Andrew’s legal team also rejects Miss Roberts’ accusation that he has
refused to co-operate with US authorities in their investigation of Epstein and
his co-conspirators, despite officials claiming he has done just that. Andrew
makes clear he continues to dispute Miss Roberts is resident in the state of
Colorado, which allows her to bring the case in the US. Now a 38-year-old
mother-of-three, she lives in Perth, Australia, and it is understood Andrew’s legal
team still intends to pursue this in a bid to get the case thrown out.
Boies went on to say his client and legal team were anticipating
‘confronting’ the royal about his ‘denials’.
‘We look forward to confronting Prince Andrew with his denials and attempts
to blame Ms. Giuffre for her own abuse at his deposition and at trial.’
Giuffre asserted that she met Andrew while she travelled frequently with
Epstein between 2000 and 2002 when her lawyers maintain she was ‘on call for
Epstein for sexual purposes’ and was ‘lent out to other powerful men,’
including Andrew.
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Waving: Andrew behind Jeffrey Epstein’s front
door in New York in December 2010 The admits his walk with Epstein in
Central Park in 2010 and staying at the paedophile’s Manhattan mansion on the
same trip, both caught on camera. But in his rebuttal of Miss Roberts’
complaint, Andrew denies he ever sexually abused her and refuses to ‘admit or
deny’ her assertions that she was a victim of Epstein.
She accuses Andrew of sexually abusing her at the London home of
Maxwell, at Epstein’s New York mansion and Epstein’s private island, Little St
James.
Her lawsuit said she still suffers significant emotional and
psychological distress and harm.
Epstein, 66, took his own life in August 2019 while awaiting trial on
sex trafficking charges.
But there is widespread speculation that he was murdered while in
custody to prevent him from compromising powerful individuals in the US and
abroad thought to be associated with him.
Media lawyer Mark Stephens said the upcoming trial of Andrew, and the
legal proceedings before it, will overshadow the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and
threaten the existence of the monarchy.
‘I can’t conceive that the royal family will allow him to run this case
and overshadow the Platinum Jubilee,’ Stephens said.
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The papers, filed today by Prince Andrew’s
legal counsel Andrew Brettler (pictured), contained a detail rebuttal of all of
Roberts’ claims and also requested that the Royal be granted a trial by jury
‘It’s going to spark a debate about the relevancy and appropriateness of
the royal family and we’ve already seen that they moved very fast to strip him
of his titles and that debate abated, but the more detail that comes out the
more there’s going to be a problem for the wider royal family.’
Commenting on lurid details that may emerge from the trial, Stephens
said: ‘For example, questions will be asked of Virginia Giuffre about the
prince’s body, any marks, his performance, what positions were adopted – every
detail that is conceivable to ask and then that will be put to Andrew.’
He speculated the duke may still pull back from a trial to avoid the
legal spectacle which could damage the standing of the monarchy in the Queen’s
Platinum Jubilee year.
He said: ‘The reason we think he’s got to settle is because of the
timing. Essentially this case is going to take up the rest of this year and if
it takes up the rest of this year, that’s the whole of his mother’s Platinum
Jubilee.
‘The only thing he could have done to stop this getting worse is to have
pulled the case and stopped it in some way so there was no alternative news.
This is going to be crippling if he really is dead set on running this to a
trial.’
Prince Andrew’s official rebuttal of Giuffre’s claims comes just weeks
after The Queen stripped him of his honorary titles, meaning he can no longer
be referred to as ‘His Royal Highness’ in any capacity.
Andrew, who remains Duke of York, also loses his military titles and
royal patronages ‘with the Queen’s approval and agreement’, Buckingham Palace
said in a terse statement that brought his 61 years as a senior royal to a
shocking end.
The Queen’s decision made on January 13 followed the day after Andrew’s
motion to have the case against him dismissed on a legal technicality was
unequivocally thrown out by a US judge.
Judge Lewis Kaplan sensationally dismissed an application from the Duke
of York’s lawyers to have the case shut down – freeing Ms. Giuffre to pursue her
high-profile case in a US court later this year.
Andrew’s attorneys had unsuccessfully argued that her case should have
been thrown out because of a newly-unsealed $500,000 settlement with Jeffrey
Epstein.
Brettler argued the settlement protected Andrew because it
contained a clause in which Giuffre agreed not to take legal action against
‘potential defendants’.
But Judge Kaplan said the court was not able to consider the duke’s
efforts to cast doubt on Giuffre’s claims or whether he was covered by the
settlement agreement, suggesting these were issues for a trial.
He said: ‘The 2009 agreement cannot be said to demonstrate, clearly and
unambiguously, the parties intended the instrument ”directly”, ”primarily”,
or ”substantially”, to benefit Prince Andrew.
‘The defendant’s motion to dismiss the complaint or for a more definite
statement is denied in all respects.’
Earlier this month, sources close to the Duke confirmed that he was
selling his luxurious chalet in the exclusive Swiss ski resort of Verbier after
a mystery buyer agreed to take it off his hands.
Andrew was only able to sell the residence, called Chalet Helora, after
settling a £6.6million debt to French socialite Isabelle de Rouvre, 74, who
sold it to him and Sarah Ferguson in 2014 also for £18million.
The deal led to speculation that he would use the money to pay his
rapidly expanding legal bills as he prepares to battle the lawsuit of Giuffre,
who claims she was trafficked to have sex with him by paedophile
financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But Spencer Kuvin, who represented the victims of Epstein, believes the
sale could actually be designed to prevent Giuffre from seizing the Duke’s
assets.
The lawyer told the Mirror: ‘If Virginia gets a judgment
against Andrew, if this went all the way through to trial and she received a
financial judgment in her favour, she could execute on any properties he has,
the most likely being his ski chalet.
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The Queen has stripped the Duke of York of his honorary military roles
and royal patronages. The move is a major blow to Andrew, whose legal team
today filed legal papers in which the Duke officially denied the charges
brought against him by Virginia Roberts (Giuffre)
‘If Andrew had properties in any companion country that would abide by
such jurisdiction of the US, she can execute on those properties.’
He added: ‘If the Queen has transferred any property to him, anywhere
throughout the entire world, they could try and execute on that property if
successful in foreign courts.’
Andrew agreed with Ms de Rouvre that the chalet would be paid for in
installments.
But Ms de Rouvre claimed the Yorks failed to make the final installment
of £5m, resulting in her launching legal action against them in the Swiss courts
two years ago for the amount she was owed, plus interest, which came to a
combined £6.6 million.
Under Swiss law, he was prevented from selling the chalet until the
matter had been resolved.
Now that Andrew has paid the final installment and attached interest for
the chalet, he is now expected to sell the property in a matter of weeks.
