For a lawsuit? Prince Andrew was exposed to selling a ski villa, British media: The Queen does not intend to provide financial support

Source: Global Times

After being "snow hidden" by the British royal family for more than two years, Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom, who was discredited for allegedly sexually assaulting underage girls, was once again in the media attention. Although the British side has basically stopped the investigation of Prince Andrew, the American victims of this sexual assault case have not given up responsibility, and a court in New York recently officially rejected Prince Andrew's withdrawal request, which means that the legal dispute that makes the royal family lose face may enter the trial stage, and the scandal will be further fermented. The British royal family has just experienced a turbulent year, and this "opening drama" for the royal family can be called "no worst, only worse".

Prince Andrew Infographic

According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on the 13th, as the plaintiff in the sexual assault incident, the American woman Virginia Jufrey filed a lawsuit in New York in August 2021, accusing Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting and beating her when she was 17 years old. On January 4 this year, the plaintiff and the defendant's legal team confronted the court, and the defendant asked the court to dismiss her claim on the grounds that the plaintiff's side "lacked evidence". Prince Andrew's team of lawyers claims that Jufrey signed a "confidentiality agreement" in 2009 and received a $500,000 "gag fee" and promised not to hold anyone in Epstein's chaotic "circle of friends" accountable.

On Jan. 12, a U.S. federal judge in New York rejected Prince Andrew's request to dismiss the sexual assault case after hearing arguments from both lawyers. The judge said the wording in the so-called confidentiality agreement was vague and supported Jufrey's continued accountability for Prince Andrew. At this point, Prince Andrew's attempts to obstruct the judicial process were officially declared unsuccessful.

The British "Independent" said that the new York court's judgment is a beginning for Prince Andrew's "sexual assault of a young girl" case, which is likely to run through the entire 2022. In the coming months, the case will enter the "evidence collection" phase, and Prince Andrew will need to provide an "sworn confession" in text and video. And the content of the confession must involve the content of his deeper private life. Couven, the lawyer representing the victims of epstein's case, explained that the New York court's decision means that Jufrey's lawyers are now qualified to "ask any questions" about the defence, and that their scope of evidence is not limited to Prince Andrew himself, and that all those involved in providing prince Andrew with an "alibi" could be admitted.

According to the arrangement, the case will enter the trial stage between September and December this year. The BBC said Prince Andrew could go to court this fall to publicly clarify the allegations against himself, but it's hard to imagine the royal family would want to see a "heated cross-examination" in a New York court. Several legal experts said reaching an out-of-court settlement with the plaintiffs and spending a lot of money to get Jufrey to withdraw the case may be Prince Andrew's best choice. The settlement may be as high as $5 million.

The Guardian said that with too many lawsuits to fight, Prince Andrew was already "stretched" and planned to sell a ski-specific villa worth £18 million in Switzerland to cover legal expenses. There are also reports that the angry Queen of England does not intend to provide him with financial support this time. Jufrey's side, on the other hand, said it was not much interested in the "money-taking" settlement.

Some analysts believe that no matter how prince Andrew's case is settled, the reputation of the British royal family will inevitably suffer heavy losses. According to the "Russia Today" news network, although the royal family has had many sex scandals before, none of them can be compared with the negative impact caused by Prince Andrew - the "sex life materials" of members of the British royal family are circulated in American courts, and social media is "broadcast on a rolling basis 24 hours".

Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, is 62 years old. The Guardian lamented that elizabeth II will celebrate the "Platinum Jubilee" (the 70th anniversary of the reign) this year after the bereavement of her husband last year, but the Prince Andrew case is likely to drag the British royal family into a "bad year" again.