Prince Andrew's Legal Troubles Just Got More Intense

Prince Andrew might be celebrating the birth of his second grandchild, as his daughter, Princess Beatrice, welcomed her first child in September 2021. Yet his legal troubles have gotten more serious.

The Duke of York has been accused by Virginia Roberts Giuffre of having sex with her when she was 17 years old, with assaults occurring in London, New York, and on Jeffrey Epstein's estate on the US Virgin Islands (via CNN). In August 2021, Giuffre filed a lawsuit against the prince in federal court in New York. According to legal documents (via The Guardian), she alleges that Andrew was aware that she was a sex trafficking victim and that Giuffre "was compelled by express or implied threats by Epstein, [Ghislaine] Maxwell, and/or Prince Andrew to engage in sexual acts with Prince Andrew, and feared death or physical injury to herself or another and other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell, and Prince Andrew due to their powerful connections, wealth and authority." 

Prince Andrew has denied any interaction with Giuffre and Buckingham Palace called the claims "false and without foundation." But a disastrous television interview in 2019 led the prince to step down from his public duties, calling his association with Epstein "a major disruption to my family's work and the valuable work going on in the many organizations and charities that I am proud to support" (via The New York Times). And now it looks as if Andrew's legal problems have moved to the next level.

Prince Andrew has officially been served with a civil lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has accused him of having sex with her when she was 17 years old. According to CNN, legal papers were delivered to the prince's Los Angeles-based lawyer by FedEx and email. His attorney, Andrew B. Brettler, at the law firm of Lavely and Singer in Los Angeles, has called the case "baseless, non-viable (and) potentially unlawful." Yet in September 2021, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan approved a request from Giuffre's legal team to find other ways of serving the lawsuit against the prince.

The prince's legal team has conceded that the papers have been received, and sources in the UK said that Andrew plans to "come out fighting" in order to defend himself, and will deny "point by point, claim by claim" what he has been accused of (via The New York Post). The sources also refute rumors that the Duke of York was planning to fire his legal team. "The duke retains every confidence in his legal team and their strategy."

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.