Cornered royalty

After Prince Andrew failed to have his victim Virginia Giuffre's case pushed aside, the British monarch could be seen in court giving evidence in a high-profile trial. The prince allegedly sexually assaulted Giuffre when she was 17 years old, as she was sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein with the aid of his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has recently been convicted of sex trafficking.

The Duke of York has "no good options left," as legal experts have been putting it, as New York Judge Lewish Kaplan refused to dismiss his case "in all respects." 

If Andrew were to completely dismiss the trial (and succeed at doing that), according to The Guardian, there will be a need for a settlement to be done outside the courtroom between Andrew and Giuffre, which could potentially cost him millions of dollars. 

Giuffre argues that Epstein trafficked her to have sex with multiple people, including Prince Andrew. It seems that Giuffre is adamant to take the case to court, by hook or by crook. 

Buckingham Palace refused to comment on the matter. 

Judge Kaplan issued a 46-page ruling in which, under many premises, he rejects the argument brought forth by the prince's legal team that Giuffre abandoned her right to sue him under an out-of-court settlement, kept under covers, of $500,000 she made with Jeffrey Epstein - an agreement made in 2009 to coerce Giuffre into not suing anybody for sex trafficking and beyond. 

“Given the court’s limited task of ruling on this motion, nothing in this opinion or previously in these proceedings properly may be construed as indicating a view with respect to the truth of the charges or counter-charges or as to the intention of the parties in entering into the 2009 agreement."

“The 2009 agreement cannot be said to demonstrate, clearly and unambiguously, the parties intended the instrument ‘directly’, ‘primarily’, or ‘substantially’, to benefit Prince Andrew," said the conclusion of Kaplan's report. 

Commenting to Sky News, David Boies - Giuffre's lawyer, said “She has been on a campaign to try and expose sex trafficking and the evils of sexual abuse – I think that is much more important than any individual involved in this. The key individuals are Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. I think the participants in the sex trafficking are also people that need to be held to account."

Sweats or not, trial's on the way

Prince Andrew, as sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre put it, was “sweating profusely all over me." The allegation, accompanied by a lawsuit, was met with quite a scrappy response: “I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don’t sweat or I didn’t sweat at the time.”

Giuffre's legal team is investigating whether the DUke of York sweats or not. 

Unattractive options

Andrew seems to be cornered, as his options are 'stark and unattractive,' according to legal observers. 

Mak Stephens, a media lawyer who works for Howard Kennedy, told the BBC that “Andrew’s got no good options now. He can’t make things better so, essentially, I think he’s either going to have to engage in the trial process or he’s going to have to settle, and that may well be his least worst option.”

Andrew, in this situation, legally, can either file for a motion to reconsider the judge's ruling, or can take an appeal from the court of appeals, which will delay court proceedings.

Prince Andrew is selling his £18 million ($24.7 million) ski chalet in Switzerland as, in theory, he'll be needing the money for legal fees. 

In an alternative scenario, if Andrew were to actually go to court, he will need to be calling witnesses (very much tarnishing his reputation and relationship). Witnesses include Andrew's own daughter, Princess Beatrice. In a 2019 interview with BBC, Prince Andrew claimed to have gone with Beatrice to a children's party in the afternoon at Pizza Express - the day the same day he was supposedly with Giuffre - before going back home to stay with his children all night afterward.

The Buckingham Palace is not the only place tarnished by Epstein's and Maxwell's friendship; renowned personalities such as Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and many more have been seen within the lethal duo's circle. 

Maxwell has recently been found guilty on five counts of luring young girls - as young as 14 - into Epstein's lair for sexual abuse.