Prince Andrew 'summoned' to Balmoral by Queen says royal expert

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Andrew, 61, had been hoping to resolve his legal problems by the end of the year in a bid to have his status in the Royal Family restored, despite the opposition of some palace officials. But friends admitted yesterday that he had been dealt a hammer blow – as Virginia Giuffre filed a lawsuit in New York accusing him of sexually abusing her while she was under the age of 18 and a victim of trafficking. Andrew, the Queen’s second son, was spotted joining the Queen at Balmoral Castle in a Range Rover just after 6pm yesterday, alongside his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson.

His legal problems look likely to continue well into next year, when the Queen is due to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee.

The Duke of York could also be hit with a second lawsuit as attorneys for another alleged victim, hairstylist and former PA Johanna Sjoberg, consider possible action under an Adult Survivors Act set to come into force in New York state.

Andrew’s biographer Nigel Cawthorne said: “It is very difficult to see how Prince Andrew can return to the frontline of the monarchy while a suit is pending, or with a verdict against him passed
in absentia.”

The prince stood down “temporarily” from official duties in November 2019, following a disastrous television interview he gave about his friendship with the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Epstein, who hanged himself in prison two years ago, was accused with British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell of “lending out Ms Giuffre for sexual purposes”.

Friends of Ms Maxwell, who is currently in prison awaiting trial in November on sex trafficking charges, said last night she was prepared to give evidence on behalf of the Duke.

They told a newspaper: “By the time the case against the Duke gets to court, Ghislaine will either be convicted and serving up to 85 years in jail [or if] cleared of course she would help Prince Andrew.

“They have been friends for a very long time.” Maxwell, 59, would need to be cleared of wrongdoing at her own trial if her evidence is to be considered credible in a New York courtroom.

Andrew and his lawyers maintained a stony silence last night, having not responded publicly to a 15-page civil lawsuit filed by Ms Giuffre in which she sought unspecified damages from him in a federal court under New York state’s Child Victims Act.

She says Epstein and Ms Maxwell forced her to sleep with Andrew 20 years ago, when she was 17 and still a minor under some US states’ laws.

Ms Giuffre, now 38, claimed she feared for her life if she did not have sex with the prince.

“Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position and connections enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her,” she said.

“It is long past the time for him to be held to account.”

New York’s Southern District Court yesterday gave Andrew 21 days to respond once he had been served with the paperwork.

Legal experts think it likely that the papers will be handed to British representatives in the US rather than Ms Giuffre’s representatives trying to access Andrew at Balmoral Castle.

Andrew strenuously denies sleeping with Ms Giuffre or any other wrongdoing and insists he has no recollection of ever meeting her.

He promised to help an FBI inquiry into allegations against Epstein and associate Ms Maxwell but he has declined to cooperate with the FBI in practice and consistently ignored the threat of civil action for damages.

A spokeswoman for Andrew said there was “no comment” when asked to respond to the civil suit.

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Comment by Phil Dampier

I’ve never thought that Prince Andrew will be put in handcuffs and led off to an American court because of his association with the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal.

But the fact that Virginia Giuffre is suing him in the US is a nail in his royal coffin.

Andrew has met his lawyers frequently recently, and they seem to have told him to lie low and hope it goes away.

But with the civil case by the former Miss Roberts and the upcoming trial of his close friend Ghislaine Maxwell looming, that seems unlikely.

Andrew made several mistakes in his car crash Newsnight interview with Emily Maitlis in 2019. But to me the biggest one was to deny he had ever met Virginia.

The photo of them together in London was found by the FBI to be genuine.

I don’t know whether he had sex with her or not – and of course he says he is innocent – but it would have been more plausible to say he was thrust into an impromptu snap, rather than deny knowing her.

That made him look foolish.

I certainly don’t think he had a thing about teenage girls like Epstein. But what was he doing at his properties?

Although he is no longer a working royal, he is still the Queen’s favourite son and has been walking dogs at Windsor Castle and talking to her on the phone.

He and ex-wife Fergie arrived at Balmoral to stay with her last night. They’ll have plenty to talk about!

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