According to sources, senior royals led by Prince Charles and Prince William are shocked that Prince Andrew wants to take his civil sex abuse case to a jury and are attempting to urge him to settle it quickly.
The Duke of York has responded to allegations of rape and sexual assault leveled against him by his accuser Virginia Giuffre, who was granted the authority to bring the Queen's son to trial in the United States earlier this month.
Senior royals beg Prince Andrew not to fight sexual abuse case
The Queen's son gave 41 straight denials of Guiffre's charges in his first public statement to the court about claims filed against him last August. According to people close to the Duke, he is dedicated to clearing his name and has refuted all claims of misconduct and requested a trial by jury.
However, a royal source claims that top royals were surprised by his choice to seek a jury trial and are concerned that it may exacerbate the situation, Mirror reported. Guiffre, now 38, alleges she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was 17 years old in 2001, and that she was transported around the world to be exploited as a "sex slave" by the Duke's pedophile associate, the infamous late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Reports claim senior members of the royal family are pleading with Prince Andrew not to go to trial in his sex-assault case, afraid that he will further humiliate the already battered institution.
According to a royal insider, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, and his eldest son Prince William, the 39-year-old second in line, are spearheading the drive to persuade Prince Andrew to settle out of court.
Prince Andrew's previous attempt to publicly address the allegations in a BBC "Newsnight" interview sparked outrage, and he was removed from royal duties and stripped of his title of "His Royal Highness" in order to fight the allegations as a private citizen, according to media lawyer Mark Stephens, who previously stated that a full trial would risk "bringing down the monarchy," as per NY Post.
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Prince Andrew gives up prestigious golf club membership
Giuffre, now 38, has long claimed that pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his convicted madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, forced her to have sex with the prince three times, beginning when she was 17 years old in 2001. Prince Andrew has always categorically disputed her claims.
According to Giuffre's lawyer, David Boies, it will be "up to the judge" if Andrew is compelled to appear in person. The continued suspicion comes after Andrew lost another award as a result of the scandal: his membership at one of the world's most prominent golf clubs.
Per CNBC, Prince Andrew's decision to leave the 268-year-old club comes only two weeks after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, divested him of his military titles and charitable posts as a result of the long-running Epstein controversy. Prince Andrew will lose his remaining patronages and military titles, and he will no longer use His Royal Highness, according to a statement released by Buckingham Palace earlier this month.
The Duke's duties were initially suspended for the foreseeable future after the Newsnight interview in 2019. His royal patronages and military ties will be dispersed among other members of the royal family.
Related Article: Ghislaine Maxwell Had Special Access To Royal Palace; Ex-Officer Blasts Prince Andrew's Claim That He Is Not Close with Jeffrey Epstein's Madam
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