Prince Andrew's criticisms of Giuffre may risk further damage to his reputation: Lawyers

Prince Andrew’s attacks on Virginia Giuffre’s character in a bid to get her sexual assault lawsuit against him thrown out may fail and risk further damage on his reputation, British lawyers said. According to The Guardian, Prince Andrew’s court filing has accused Giuffre of seeking a “payday” at the Duke’s expense and contain references from friends of her being a “money-hungry sex kitten”. Prince Andrew also argues that a 2009 settlement agreement between Giuffre and convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein absolves the Prince from responsibility, a notion that Giuffre’s lawyers have rejected repeatedly. 

Now, several UK lawyers have suggested that the case has potentially opened Prince Andrew to further embarrassment. As per the media outlet, Mark Stephens, a partner at Howard Kennedy and UK media law expert, said that Prince Andrew, on one hand, says that the case should be struck out because Giuffre is unreliable. However, Stephens added that the Duke also says that he is covered by the plea deal from Epstein in any event, which seemed to be sort of contradictory.

The British lawyer explained that now the problem is that the only way for Prince Andrew to explain his side is by attending the court hearings. Stephens said that if the UK Prince actually get into it, then he would have to explain what actually happened. Although Prince Andrew says that he has “no recollection” of meeting Giuffre, she will, however, undoubtedly give graphic and detailed evidence about what she says were their liaisons. 

Prince Andrew denies Giuffre's “false” allegations 

Meanwhile, attorneys for Andrew has repeatedly said that the Prince “unequivocally” denies Giuffre's “false” allegations against him. They have also said that accusing a member of the “world’s best known royal family” of serious misconduct has helped Giuffre create a media frenzy online in the traditional press. The filing also reportedly read that Epstein’s abuse of Giuffre does not justify her public campaign against Prince Andrew. 

Prince Andrew is being sued in New York by Giuffre, who alleges that she was forced to perform sex acts with him. She has said that she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell and forced to have sex with the sex offender’s friends, including the Duke of York, when she was underage. However, Prince Andrew has consistently denied Giuffre’s allegations. 

(Image: AP)