Virginia Giuffre has achieved her goal: her rape complaint once morest Prince Andrew was deemed admissible on Wednesday January 12 by Judge Kaplan, in charge of the case. His trial is scheduled to take place next fall. The woman accuses the Duke of York of having had three forced sex with her in 2001, when she was 17 years old.
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She was part of a circuit of prostitutes set up by the financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who allegedly paid her $ 15,000 (€ 13,133) for her initial meeting with Prince Andrew.
Avoid a lawsuit
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II has always denied having had any relationship with his accuser, despite the publication of a photo of him holding the waist the young woman, then called Virginia Roberts. During an interview on the case broadcast in November 2019 on the BBC (1), he tried to exonerate himself: “I don’t have the slightest memory of ever having met this lady. “
During the video hearing organized last week between the various parties, his lawyers tried to avoid a trial by relying on a secret agreement signed on November 17, 2009 between Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre. In exchange for the payment of € 600,000 and other things of value not described, the latter had indeed agreed to stop any complaint once morest Jeffrey Epstein but also once morest “Any other persons or entities who might be included as potential accused”, as revealed by the text of the agreement released last week. Prince Andrew’s lawyers believe their client, although not expressly named in the deal, might have been part of it.
The noose tightens around the prince
Kaplan J. rejected this interpretation. In his 44-page judgment (2), he said Prince Andrew might not be protected by a deal he was unaware of. And that the fact that it is not cited does not allow “To demonstrate clearly and unambiguously” that he was covered by this agreement.
Although he can appeal this decision to a federal court, Prince Andrew sees the noose tightening around him. In this civil lawsuit, Virginia Roberts / Giuffre seeks financial compensation for the abuse she suffered. Unless it is proven that the Duke of York lied to the authorities, then he will not be sentenced to jail.
A trial would be disastrous
This is also the reason why the trial might not take place: Prince Andrew might conclude a financial agreement with his accuser, as Jeffrey Epstein had done in 2009. The imminent sale of his chalet in Verbier, in Switzerland, revealed this week, would allow him to do so. Even if he was not cleared of the suspicions hanging over him, the royal family might push him towards this solution in order to avoid any further embarrassment. A trial would indeed be disastrous for the image of the Windsors, in particular because of the description of the sexual accusations brought once morest Prince Andrew. And this even if he refuses to testify in person at the trial, which he is authorized to do.
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One thing is certain: his personal reputation is forever tarnished. The timing of this announcement is also unfortunate since Buckingham Palace revealed on Monday the program of the celebrations planned from June 2 to 5 for the platinum jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.
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