‘The rich and powerful are NOT above the law’: Prince Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre praises court ruling allowing her civil sex assault case to proceed to trial
- Virginia Roberts Giuffre has won permission to seek a sex assault trial in US
- Prince Andrew has categorically denied allegations he had sex with her
- Duke of York will be banned from using the styling ‘HRH’ in an official capacity
- Experts say Andrew must do deal ‘for sake of the Queen’ who turns 96 in April
Virginia Roberts Giuffre today piled more woe on the Duke of York after he was exiled by the Royal Family as she praised the New York court ruling enabling her civil sex case against him to proceed to trial.
Judge Lewis A Kaplan on Wednesday dismissed a motion by the duke’s lawyers to have the lawsuit thrown out after they argued Ms Giuffre had waived her right to pursue the royal by signing a confidential settlement with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Ms Giuffre is suing the duke in the US for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager, claiming she was forced to have sex with him three time when she was 17.
She wrote on Twitter she was ‘pleased’ with the ruling, adding: ‘I’m glad I will have the chance to continue to expose the truth & I am deeply grateful to my extraordinary legal team.
Virginia Roberts Giuffre broke her silence after the judge’s ruling on Wednesday to say she will ‘continue to expose the truth’
Prince Andrew is certain to be questioned about his sex life and the size and shape of his manhood if he fails to settle with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, lawyers claim
Last night, Prince Andrew’s lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic were locked in crisis talks after their motion to dismiss the civil lawsuit brought by Virginia Roberts (pictured middle) was ‘denied in all respects’, meaning the case is now heading towards an unedifying trial this autumn
Defiant Prince Andrew will fight against his sex abuse lawsuit after the double blow of a judge refusing to dismiss the case and the Queen stripping him of his titles.
The Duke of York will no longer be known as His Royal Highness ‘in any official capacity’, it was announced today after a judge proceeded with the rape and sexual assault case against Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Today, a source close to the royal said he would continue to fight the allegations.
The source said: ‘Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling.
‘However, it was not a judgement on the merits of Ms Giuffre’s allegations.
‘This is a marathon not a sprint and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.’
Despite pleas for Andrew to ‘do the right thing for the Queen’ and offer his accuser millions to avoid a trial, the duke appeared to be digging in for the long haul.
‘Their determination helps me seek justice from those who hurt me and so many others. My goal has always been to show that the rich and powerful are not above the law & must be held accountable.
‘I do not walk this path alone, but alongside countless other survivors of sexual abuse & trafficking.’
It comes after the Queen stripped Andrew of his honorary military roles and he gave up his use of HRH style in a dramatic fallout from the civil sex case.
Andrew, who was born an HRH, will not use it in any official capacity, a royal source said and the duke has also been stripped of his remaining royal patronages.
The decision represents the duke’s complete removal from official royal life, and an attempt to distance the monarchy from Andrew, who was once second in line to the throne as the spare to the heir, in the year of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
It paves the way for Andrew to seek an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre without the fear of his decision – likely to be viewed unfavourably by the public – being associated with the royal family.
Ms Giuffre claims she was trafficked by Andrew’s friend Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the duke when she was 17 and a minor under US law.
The duke has strenuously denied the allegations.
A royal source said the issue had been widely discussed within the royal family, making it likely that the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge were involved in crisis talks over the matter.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Thursday: ‘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.’
The Duke of York will be digesting the implications of the judge’s refusal to throw out his sex assault lawsuit
Buckingham Palace said in a statement this afternoon, which read: ‘With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen’
It is understood the decision was taken by mutual agreement between the Queen and her son but the ultimate decision would have fallen to the monarch and been a difficult one.
As a former Royal Navy officer who served in the Falklands War the loss of his association with the military units and regiments, the most prestigious being Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, will be keenly felt by Andrew.
The source said the military posts would be redistributed to other members of the royal family.
But Andrew will keep his rank of Vice Admiral and his role of Counsellor of State, undertaken by the spouse of a monarch and the next four adults in the line of succession.
It is not clear what effect the decision will have on the level of security provided for the duke now his status has been reduced.
The Queen is head of the armed forces and honorary military appointments are in her gift.
The Palace said previously that the duke’s military appointments were in abeyance after he stepped down from public duties in 2019 after his disastrous Newsnight interview.
But until now he still retained the roles, which left the eight British regiments in limbo more than two years on.
A source close to the duke said he would ‘continue to defend himself’ against Ms Giuffre’s allegations following the judge’s decision to dismiss his legal team’s attempt to have the case thrown out.
The source said: ‘Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling.
‘However, it was not a judgment on the merits of Ms Giuffre’s allegations.
‘This is a marathon not a sprint and the duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.’
Andrew’s other British honorary military roles were: Honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth; Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment; Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps; Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm; Royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland; Deputy colonel-in-chief of The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeth’s Own); and Colonel-in-chief of the Yorkshire Regiment.
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