The Duke of York has not attended a single military event since he stepped back from royal duties two years ago – accused of having sex with one of Epstein’s victims three times.
Lawyers for the Duke had said Virginia Guiffrye’s civil lawsuit should be dropped based on a previous $500,000 (£371,000) deal signed by her with Jeffrey Epstein in 2009. But Judge Lewis A Kaplan said Prince Andrew’s motion was “denied in all respects”.
And according to experts, the outcome is “very bad news” for the prince, who will likely lose his military honours as a result. Royal biographer Phil Dampier told The Sun Online: “This will obviously do nothing to help his reputation, I think he is finished as a working royal.
It was suggested he would try and get back this year for the 40th anniversary of the Falklands events but that’s not going to happen for him the way this is going. It wouldn’t surprise me if, in time, he loses his military patronages.
PRINCE Andrew is set to pay £10million from the sale of his Swiss chalet in an out-of-court settlement with accuser Virginia Giuffre, The Sun understands. His desperate move comes after a US judge ordered him to face a civil trial this autumn over claims he sexually abused Ms Giuffre when she was 17.
The Duke of York, 61, is understood to be prepared to do “whatever is necessary” to stop his sex abuse case overshadowing the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Ms Giuffre’s lawyer last night told The Sun a “settlement is always a possibility”, as legal experts said it was his “least worst option”.
Senior royal aides are all urging Andrew to settle as soon as possible to prevent him dragging the “whole monarchy through the mud”. His £2,000-an-hour legal team were last night locked in talks amid the “biggest constitutional crisis in living memory”.
Andrew’s own family could be called as witnesses in the rape lawsuit against him in a bid to blow apart the royal’s Pizza Express alibi. Legal experts said Andrew’s hopes of having the lawsuit dismissed were on the ropes last night after Judge Lewis Kaplan ripped apart his lawyers’ case. Yet Judge Kaplan appeared mostly dismissive of this argument.
If the case goes ahead, here are five witnesses – including members of Andrew’s own family – who could be called to give evidence. Princess Beatrice, Meghan Markle Princess Eugenie
