Prince Andrew: Ruthless Royals Move to Limit the Damage

PA MEDIA
BBC: This was a ruthless piece of palace politics, distancing the Royal Family from one of its own.

There was no waiting to see if Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, could clear his name in court. He's already lost the use of his HRH, and his military links have been severed.

"Brutal," tweeted royal commentator Peter Hunt. "The Windsors have shown that when the institution is under threat, dynastic preservation trumps flesh and blood."

It could also be seen as inevitable. Rather than facing endless awkward questions about Prince Andrew's future, Buckingham Palace has made a pre-emptive strike, effectively announcing that he will never return to an official royal role. » | Sean Coughlan, Royal correspondent | Saturday, January 15, 2022

Queen Won’t Risk Bailing Out Prince Andrew, Say Royal Experts

The Duke of York’s finances have been the subject of much speculation over the years | TIM GRAHAM/GETTY IMAGES
THE TIMES: The Queen will not bail out the Duke of York to help to fund a financial settlement with Virginia Giuffre, according to royal experts.

Ingrid Seward, the royal biographer, believes that providing him with money would be too damaging to the Queen’s reputation and that she would rather leave him to face the allegations in court.

David McClure, who has written books about royal finances, believes the prince would not have enough money to cover a settlement himself. He said that the recent sale by the duke of a chalet in Verbier, the Swiss ski resort, has revealed him to be “extremely cash poor”.

The duke’s legal bill is likely to be between £5 million and £6 million, plus further millions if he goes down … » | Ben Ellery | Saturday, January 15, 2022 [£]

Prince Andrew Will No Longer Be ‘HRH’ – and That Is Now the Least of His Worries

THE GUARDIAN – OPINION: Virginia Giuffre is unlikely to accept a settlement alone. A trial would be disastrous for the prince and his family

Prince Andrew at the Falklands veterans parade in Horse Guards Parade, London, June 2007. Photograph: Anwar Hussein Collection/ROTA/WireImage
In 1986, Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey to an avalanche of enthusiastic press coverage. Thirty-five years later, he faces a lawsuit for sexual assault from Virginia Giuffre, a woman who was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein. He is disgraced, stripped of his military titles, will no longer be officially “His Royal Highness”, nor represent the Queen. After yesterday’s summit with his mother at Windsor Castle, Andrew is no longer a working royal in any capacity and must, as the statement from Buckingham Palace made clear, face the lawsuit as a “private citizen”.

Giuffre, a survivor of trafficking and abuse, has been courageous. Attacked and slandered by powerful individuals, she has continued to argue her case. She is, her team says, determined to have her day in court. The lawsuit may now go ahead as early as this autumn. In the year of the Platinum Jubilee, which was supposed to be all about celebrating the Queen and her long reign, the royal family are confronting the worrying possibility that attention will now be on the court case against Andrew. » | Kate Williams * | Friday, January 14, 2022

* Kate Williams is professor of history at Reading University and author of Rival Queens and The Edge of the Fall

Sarah Ferguson: will ex-wife continue to ‘remain steadfast’ for Prince Andrew’? : Duchess of York appears to be one of few people Andrew can still turn to for unconditional support »

Queen Strips Prince Andrew of HRH Title and Military Roles - BBC News

Jan 13, 2022 • The Duke of York's military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, Buckingham Palace has said.

Prince Andrew, 61, will also stop using the style His Royal Highness in an official capacity, a royal source said.

It comes as he faces a US civil action over sexual assault allegations - claims he has consistently denied.

A source close to the duke said he would "continue to defend himself" against the case brought in New York by Virginia Giuffre.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: "With the Queen's approval and agreement, the Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen. The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by royal correspondents Nicholas Witchell and Helena Wilkinson.

Prince Andrew Is Stripped of Military Titles as Sexual Abuse Case Proceeds

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Buckingham Palace said Andrew would not undertake any public duties and was defending his case as a private citizen.

Prince Andrew in 2019. The prince will no longer use the title “His Royal Highness.” | .John Thys/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
LONDON — Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, has been forced to relinquish his military titles and royal charities, Buckingham Palace said on Thursday, a stinging rebuke by the British royal family a day after a federal judge in New York allowed a sexual abuse case against him to go ahead.

The palace said that Andrew, 61, who has been accused by Virginia Giuffre of raping her while she was a teenager, would also no longer use the title “His Royal Highness,” a prized symbol of his status as a senior member of the royal family. In a terse statement, the palace said that Andrew would “continue not to undertake any public duties” and that he “is defending this case as a private citizen.”

Andrew, who is also known as the Duke of York, has denied Ms. Giuffre’s allegations, which date from a period in which he was friendly with the financier and convicted sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. The duke’s lawyers tried to get her lawsuit dismissed, but the judge, Lewis A. Kaplan, ruled against him on Wednesday.

The decision by Buckingham Palace completes a stunning fall from grace for a man who was once one of the royal family’s most popular members — a dashing war hero and eligible bachelor — but who has since become a disgraced figure, left to explain why he associated with a convicted criminal like Mr. Epstein. » | Mark Landler | Thursday, January 13, 2022

‘Chucked under royal bus’: Prince Andrew’s demotion shows institution’s ruthlessness: Analysis: Duke of York’s loss of royal patronages and military titles reveals inner workings of family »

Prince Charles and William demanded Andrew's exile: Shamed Duke of York was stripped of titles at crisis summit with Queen in attempt to 'ensure the survival of the Royal Family at all costs' as he faces sex assault lawsuit: Palace sources said the 'ruthless and swift' decision had been 'widely discussed' within the Royal Family / Duke of York will be banned from using the styling 'HRH' in an official capacity, according to royal source / News is a further blow for Andrew as he considers whether to press ahead with trial or settle with accuser / Experts say the duke must do a deal 'for the sake of the Queen', who is entering her Platinum Jubilee year / He was spotted today in the back of a Range Rover while being driven from his home in Windsor Great Park »

Prince Andrew: The Lengthy and Embarrassing Legal Ordeal Ahead

THE GUARDIAN: The lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre in Manhattan is likely to go to trial by jury, US legal experts say

When a Manhattan judge rejected Prince Andrew’s efforts to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against him on Wednesday, it marked a victory for his longtime accuser.

Judge Lewis Kaplan’s ruling also means that the embattled royal will remain embroiled in lengthy – and embarrassing – legal proceedings for the foreseeable future.

“This is a huge development because it clears probably the biggest legal hurdle Virginia Giuffre and her team had to get her case to a jury,” said Neama Rahmani, a former federal prosecutor and co-founder of West Coast Trial Lawyers.

Giuffre, now 38, has long alleged that she was coerced into sex with the Duke of York at the age of 17 by two of his associates – the disgraced American financier effrey Epstein and British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Kaplan’s decision. » | Victoria Bekiempis in New York | Thursday, January 13, 2022

Im von Virginia Guiffre angestrengten Verfahren bleiben Prinz Andrew nur noch schlechte Optionen: Dem Herzog von York bleibt keine andere Wahl mehr, als auf die Missbrauchsvorwürfe des Epstein-Opfers Virginia Guiffre zu reagieren. Sowohl ein aussergerichtlicher Vergleich wie ein Prozess wären mit einem grossen Imageschaden verbunden. »

Prince Andrew civil case: What happens next?: It couldn't have been a worse result for Prince Andrew. »

Prince Andrew Fails to Stop US Sexual Abuse Civil Case Brought by Virginia Giuffre

Jan 12, 2022 • Prince Andrew has long denied accusations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was 17, and had tried to use a settlement she reached years ago with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein to stop a civil case before it started.

The prince's hopes were dashed today by a New York judge.

A civil trial will be humiliating for the Duke of York, and for his family. But if he settles out of court who will pay the bill?

Judge Rejects Prince Andrew's Bid to Dismiss Giuffre Lawsuit

Jan 12, 2022 • A federal judge in New York denied a motion to dismiss a lawsuit against Prince Andrew filed by Virginia Giuffre, a woman who alleges she was sexually trafficked to the royal when she was underage. CNN's Max Foster reports.

Related links.

Lawsuit Is Devastating Blow for Prince Andrew – and the Royal Family

THE GUARDIAN: Analysis: Win or lose, sexual assault case is unprecedented chapter in royal family’s modern history

Prince Andrew now faces the ignominious prospect of having to give evidence in a sex assault lawsuit and face cross-examination on aspects of his private life to clear his name. Photograph: Steve Parsons/AP
The New York court ruling that the civil sex assault case against the Duke of York will proceed is a devastating blow for Prince Andrew and the royal family after more than a decade of allegation and innuendo.

Aside from any appeal Prince Andrew may be able to mount against Wednesday’s ruling, he faces the ignominious prospect of having to give evidence in a sex assault lawsuit and face cross-examination on aspects of his private life to clear his name. Win or lose, it is an unprecedented chapter in the royal family’s modern history.

One option to avoid this uncomfortable scenario would be to reach a settlement, though such is the momentum of this case worldwide it seems unlikely this could satisfactorily rehabilitate his reputation. » | Caroline Davies | Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Related articles in English, French and German

Prince Andrew Rejected in Effort to Get US Sexual Abuse Case Dismissed

THE GUARDIAN: Virginia Giuffre’s civil claim against duke can move forward, federal judge rules in New York

• This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse

Prince Andrew last year. Virginia Giuffre alleges Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell forced her into sex with the duke when she was 17. Andrew denies the allegation. Photograph: Reuters
Longtime Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against him can move forward, as a New York judge rejected the royal’s efforts to dismiss her civil claim on Wednesday.

Giuffre, who has alleged that the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sexually abused her, said they forced her into sex with the Duke of York at age 17. She filed suit against the royal on 9 August, citing battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Prince Andrew’s legal team had argued in court papers and proceedings that Giuffre’s 2009 settlement with Epstein shielded him from her lawsuit. The settlement, which was unsealed on 3 January, awarded Giuffre $500,000.

Their agreement contained a provision that stated: “Second parties and 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 [Giuffre], including state or federal, cause and causes of action.”

Andrew was not mentioned by name in this settlement.

In explaining why he rejected Andrew’s motion to dismiss, Manhattan federal court judge Lewis Kaplan said it was premature to consider the prince’s efforts to cast doubt on Giuffre’s accusations. » | Victoria Bekiempis in New York | Wednesday, January 12, 2022

Prince Andrew WILL face sex assault lawsuit in US: Royal to be called for dramatic court showdown in New York as judge refuses his attempt to throw out Virginia Roberts's case accusing him of having sex with her when she was 17: Prince Andrew hoped Epstein's $500,000 settlement to drop Giuffre's claims would help dismiss her case / Duke of York's lawyers claimed it contained a clause that prevented her pursuing friends of Epstein / But New York Judge Kaplan threw Andrew's application out of court today, paving the way for civil trial / Ms Giuffre claims she was forced to have sex with the Duke three times in 2001 at Epstein's multiple homes / Andrew now faces being deposed and giving evidence at a trial penciled in for the US courts in September »

Affaire Epstein : une plainte pour agressions sexuelles contre le prince Andrew jugée recevable par la justice américaine : Souvent présenté comme le fils préféré d’Elizabeth II, le duc d’York est impliqué dans le scandale d’agressions sexuelles lié au financier américain Jeffrey Epstein, mort en 2019. Un procès civil pourrait se tenir à la fin de l’année 2022. »

La justice américaine donne son feu vert à un procès du prince Andrew : Le deuxième fils de la reine d'Angleterre est accusé d'«agressions sexuelles» par une victime du financier défunt Jeffrey Epstein. »

Die Klage gegen Prinz Andrew wird nicht fallengelassen: Der Sohn der Queen ist mit seinem Versuch gescheitert, eine Zivilklage, in der ihm Virginia Giuffre sexuelle Übergriffe vorwirft, von einem US-Richter abweisen zu lassen. »

Prinz Andrew scheitert mit Abweisungsantrag gegen Missbrauchsklage: Ein Gericht in New York wies Einwände von Prinz Andrews Anwälten zurück. Damit scheitert Andrew, die US-Klage wegen Missbrauchsvorwürfen gegen ihn zu stoppen. Der Prozess könnte im Herbst beginnen. »

Royals Await Anxiously the Fallout from Prince Andrew’s Disgrace

THE OBSERVER: The Queen’s favourite child, under siege in the press as he awaits a critical court ruling, is not the first obnoxious royal. But he has damaged ‘the Firm’ – and it will have to change

Prince Andrew talks with the Queen as the royal family wave from the balcony of Buckingham Palace after Trooping the Colour in June 2018. Photograph: Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, KG, GCVO, CD, ADC, turns 62 next month. It is long past the age at which a man is expected to stop being a cause of concern and embarrassment to his parents. And yet Andrew, who is said to be the Queen’s favourite child, has exposed his mother to the greatest threat to the royal family’s reputation in living memory.

As he awaits the decision of a New York judge, Lewis Kaplan, in the sex assault case brought by Virginia Giuffre, the prince finds himself in the deeply unedifying position of trying to evade court with a secret silencing deal struck by his late friend and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

The agreement, signed in 2009, stated that in exchange for being paid $500,000, Giuffre, then using her maiden name of Roberts, would “release … and forever discharge … second parties and 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, including state or federal, cause and causes of action”.

Giuffre maintains that in 2001 when she was 17 she was trafficked by Epstein and his sometime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with the prince on three occasions – once in Maxwell’s house in Belgravia, where the infamous photograph was taken of her with the then 42-year-old prince’s hand around her waist, on the second occasion at Epstein’s mansion in New York and finally on Epstein’s private island, Little St James in the US Virgin Islands, with a group of other girls. The prince denies all allegations and says he has no recollection of ever having met Giuffre. » | Andrew Anthony | Saturday, January 8, 2022

Prince Andrew's Most Controversial Scandals (His Spending & Epstein) | Fergie & Andrew | Channel 5

Dec 1, 2020 • Prince Andrew has many controversial scandals reported about him. The most notorious of these is his friendship with Jeffery Epstein.

Judge Deals Blow to Prince Andrew’s Hopes of Dismissing Virginia Giuffre Sex Claim

The Duke of York, who vehemently denies the allegations, is attempting to have the lawsuit thrown out | NEIL HALL/PA
THE TIMES: The Duke of York’s hopes of stopping a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre appeared to diminish as a judge in New York questioned his lawyer’s arguments that an earlier settlement shielded him from being sued.

Andrew Brettler, the duke’s lawyer, argued that an agreement Giuffre signed with the American child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2009 to settle a $500,000 suit, protecting “other potential defendants” from further legal action, included Prince Andrew. However, Judge Lewis Kaplan said that the definition of “potential defendants” was unclear and pointed to two sentences in the agreement that seemed to suggest it could not be used by Andrew. » | Will Pavia, New York | Valentine Low | Wednesday, January 5, 2022 [£]

Prince Andrew’s Uncertain Legal Fate Casts Shadow on Britain’s Royals

THE NEW YORK TIMES: As Queen Elizabeth II prepares to mark 70 years on the throne this year, a sexual abuse case in a Manhattan court involving her son could mean more turmoil for the royal family.

LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II will mark 70 years on the throne in February, a milestone unmatched by any British sovereign and a chance to turn the page on three years of ceaseless turmoil in the royal family. But a sexual-abuse lawsuit unfolding in a Manhattan courtroom could yet spoil her celebration.

On Tuesday, lawyers for the queen’s second son, Prince Andrew, asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, in which she claims that Andrew, a friend of the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, raped her when she was 17.

It was the latest in a skein of legal maneuvers by the prince’s lawyers to defuse Ms. Giuffre’s case. While the judge, Lewis A. Kaplan, did not immediately rule on the motion, leaving Andrew’s legal fate unsettled for now, the hearing dramatized the shadow that the 61-year-old prince still casts over his family.

If the judge allows the case to go forward, Andrew could face damaging testimony from Ms. Giuffre about his alleged abuse of her at Mr. Epstein’s residences in New York and in the Caribbean. That would plunge the House of Windsor back into scandal at the very moment it hopes to use the Platinum Jubilee to remind Britons of the queen’s extraordinary longevity and largely blemish-free record of service.

The 70-minute hearing gave a glimpse into the kinds of issues that could spill out in a prolonged trial. At one point, Prince Andrew’s lead lawyer, Andrew B. Brettler, argued that Ms. Giuffre had not been specific in her allegations against him. Judge Kaplan replied that she claimed she had been subjected to “involuntary sexual intercourse” and asked what was not clear about that. » | Mark Landler | Tuesday, January 4, 2022

Prince Andrew to Face Court Hearing in Sexual Misconduct Case l GMA

Jan 4, 2022 • Attorneys for the prince claim unsealed documents should prevent the British royal from being sued by an alleged victim of Jeffrey Epstein.

Hiding behind the loophole of a dead sex trafficker? Stay classy, Andrew »

Prince Andrew Accuser Virginia Giuffre’s Legal Deal with Jeffrey Epstein Released

THE GUARDIAN: Unsealing stems from Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against duke, filed in Manhattan federal court in August

Prince Andrew with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell. The Duke of York vehemently maintained his innocence against the claims made against him. Photograph: Enterprise News and Pictures
A near-dozen-year-old legal settlement between Virginia Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender whom she accused of sexual abuse, was released on Monday. Giuffre received $500,000 in her lawsuit against Epstein, court papers revealed.

The unsealing stemmed from Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew, which she filed on 9 August in Manhattan federal court.

Giuffre has long accused Epstein and his sometime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell – now a convicted sex trafficker, after the conclusion of her New York trial last week – of forcing her into sex with the royal when she was 17.

He vehemently maintains his innocence.

Andrew filed Giuffre’s settlement with Epstein as part of his attempt to dismiss her case, arguing that it shields him. Lawyers for the prince contend the settlement contains provisions that bar Giuffre from taking legal action against many of Epstein’s associates. » | Victoria Bekiempis in New York | Monday, January 3, 2022

Kommt Prinz Andrew ins Schwitzen?: Prinz Andrew muss am Dienstag in Manhattan vor Gericht. Virginia Giuffre wirft dem Royal vor, sie als Minderjährige sexuell missbraucht zu haben. Der Adelige setze in der Vergangenheit bereits auf eine sonderbare Ausrede. »

US Judge Delivers Double Setback to Prince Andrew’s Abuse Case Battle

THE OBSERVER: Pressure grows on duke to settle alleged victim’s claim before key hearing this week

Prince Andrew in Norfolk in 2020. Photograph: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP/Getty Images
Two of Prince Andrew’s avenues to prevent or stall the progression of Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s sex assault lawsuit against him were blocked on Saturday by a federal judge, increasing pressure to settle claims before a crucial court hearing this week.

Judge Lewis A Kaplan, in a written order, told the prince’s lawyers they must turn over documents on the schedule that has been set in the lawsuit brought by Guiffre who claims she was abused – aged 17 – by the prince on multiple occasions in 2001 while she was being sexually abused by financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Kaplan also rejected arguments by the prince’s lawyer, Andrew Brettler, on jurisdiction grounds after they argued last week that the lawsuit should be dismissed because Giuffre, a US citizen, no longer lives in the US.

The rulings come before an important case hearing in New York on Tuesday, one day after the scheduled public release on Monday of a 2009 settlement agreement between Epstein and Giuffre that lawyers for Andrew had hoped would protect him from Guiffre’s claims. » | Edward Helmore and Mark Townsend | Saturday, January 1, 2022

What Ghislaine Maxwell's Conviction Means for Britain's Royal Family l GMA

Dec 31, 2021 • Lawyers for Britain's Prince Andrew are due in court next week as he battles lawsuits brought by an Epstein accuser not part of the criminal case against Maxwell.


Prince Andrew ‘cannot prove’ his inability to sweat after request by Virginia Giuffre’s lawyers »

Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein | Full Interview - BBC Newsnight

Nov 17, 2019 • The Duke of York speaks to Emily Maitlis about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations against him.

In a world exclusive interview, Newsnight’s Emily Maitlis speaks to Prince Andrew, the Duke of York at Buckingham Palace.

For the first time, the Duke addresses in his own words the details of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who took his own life while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

In 2015, Prince Andrew was named in court papers as part of a US civil case against Epstein.

The Prince, who is the Queen’s third child, also answers questions about the allegations made against him by one of Epstein’s victims, and discusses the impact of the scandal on the Royal family and his work.

Prince Andrew: What Next after Ghislaine Maxwell Guilty Verdict? - BBC News

Dec 30, 2021 • Prince Andrew is facing more scrutiny of his longstanding friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell following her conviction in New York for sex trafficking on behalf of Jeffrey Epstein.

The Prince had a friendship with the couple going back more than 20 years. He invited Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein to Windsor Castle and Sandringham in 2000. They were guests of the Prince at Royal Ascot and spent time at the Queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland.

Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was found dead in his prison cell in New York in 2019 while himself facing sex trafficking charges.

Prince Andrew is facing a civil legal suit by Virginia Giuffre, formerly Virginia Roberts, who claims she was a victim of sex trafficking by Epstein and that the Prince had sex with her without her consent when she was 17.

The Prince has always strenuously denied the allegations and categorically denies knowing of any improper activities by Epstein or anyone else. His lawyers say the allegations against him by Virginia Giuffre are baseless and motivated by her desire for a “payday at his expense”.

Aleem Maqbool presents BBC News at Ten reporting by royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell.