The chalet that Prince Andrew owns in the Swiss Alps has seven bedrooms, a pool and is said to be worth £17million. As the British newspapers, which are usually well informed in royal affairs, have learned, the second eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II is likely to sell the house soon. With the money, it is speculated, he could not only pay his horrendous legal fees, but also fix what palace circles call “the case.”
“The case” is a legal battle involving sexual abuse allegations, in which Andrew has now stated that he wants to face a jury trial in the United States. This emerges from a twelve-page document that his lawyers submitted to a court in New York. While the prince continues to deny all allegations, it is his first official response to Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit. The 38-year-old accused 61-year-old Andrew of sexually abusing her when she was 17, mediated by US multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein took his own life while in custody in 2019, and Maxwell was recently sentenced to prison.
After a New York court denied Andrew’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit two weeks ago, his attorneys released a document detailing Giuffre’s allegations. They have listed a total of eleven reasons why, from their point of view, the civil action does not stand. It says, for example, that the plaintiff’s claim for damages because of “her own misconduct” cannot be asserted. What exactly is meant by this is not entirely clear. In any case, the British media reported the suspicion that Giuffre could have helped recruit young girls for Epstein.
In their document, Andrew’s lawyers also question Giuffre’s residency situation, which they don’t exactly understand, which in turn could call into question the jurisdiction of the New York court. She has lived in Australia for all but two of the past 19 years, according to Andrew’s lawyers. It was “suspicious” that she only registered in Colorado some time ago.
“I can’t imagine the royal family allowing him to do that”
So the prince is combative, only: That could backfire. If the trial goes ahead, Andrew will have to face detailed questions of a sexual nature, media attorney Mark Stephens warned, according to the PA news agency. “I can’t imagine the royal family allowing him to do that and overshadow the platinum jubilee,” Stephens said.
David Boies, Giuffre’s lawyer, said the prince’s response continues an attempt to deny all knowledge of the allegations and “blame the victim of the abuse”. In any case, he looks forward to confronting Prince Andrew in the trial with his attempts to blame Giuffre for her own abuse.
However, it is still not too late for an out-of-court settlement. Giuffre is demanding undisclosed damages from the prince. If no agreement is reached, there is likely to be a jury trial in the fall, but legal experts say that is not in Andrew’s hands. Victims attorney Lisa Bloom told the BBC that Giuffre has “a constitutional right to have a jury trial if she requests it.”