Ghislaine Maxwell Prepared To Give Evidence In Prince Andrew Sex Abuse Lawsuit
Published
| Last updated
Ghislaine Maxwell is prepared to give evidence in the sex abuse lawsuit Virginia Roberts Giuffre has filed against Prince Andrew.
Giuffre filed the lawsuit in the US on Sunday, August 8, seeking damages after claiming that the Duke of York sexually abused her.
According to reports, Maxwell is willing to give evidence in support of Prince Andrew, who has consistently denied ever having sexual contact or a relationship with Giuffre.
However, Maxwell is currently in custody awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges, and so will have to be cleared before she can give evidence in the civil lawsuit.
Giuffre, now 38 years old, claims the royal sexually abused her when she was just 17. She has alleged that Prince Andrew knew her age and committed the acts while ‘knowing that she was a sex-trafficking victim’ of Jeffrey Epstein.
Giuffre also alleges, in the 15-page court document, that she was abused by Prince Andrew not only in Epstein’s residence in New York and the US Virgin Islands, but also in Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London.
She claims that the Duke abused her on three separate occasions and that she was groomed by Maxwell to be abused by the royal, for the sexual gratification of Epstein.
Maxwell is subsequently a key witness to some of the alleged incidents which took place. According to The Telegraph, friends of Maxwell have said that she is willing to testify on Prince Andrew’s behalf if the case should reach court.
Maxwell is reportedly willing to support Prince Andrew’s insistence of never engaging in any sexual activity or relationship with Virginia Giuffre.
A friend said:
Ghislaine will be prepared to give evidence on the Duke’s behalf.
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. It is highly likely Ghislaine will offer to assist him.
Maxwell will only be able to give credible evidence, however, if she is cleared of her own charges.
On Tuesday night, Ms Giuffre’s attorney, in an interview with Channel 4, referenced the photograph of Giuffre with Prince Andrew. While he admitted that it ‘doesn’t go directly and conclusively to the fundamental question as to whether there was sexual abuse’, he said ‘it does I think significantly go to his credibility. And… This ultimately comes down to a question of credibility’.
According to Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boise, Prince Andrew’s lawyers have ‘totally stonewalled’ their attempts to contact them. He warned the royal: ‘He can ignore me. And he can ignore Virginia… But he can’t ignore judicial process.’
If Prince Andrew chooses to ignore the legal case, the lawsuit could proceed in New York without his participation, which would increase Giuffre’s chances of winning.
The civil lawsuit launched by Giuffre means that the royal will unlikely be able to return to public life, having already been made to step down from all royal duties after his interview with the BBC’s Newsnight in November 2019. The interview saw Prince Andrew fail to condemn Epstein, who was convicted as a sex offender and later took his own life while being held on trafficking charges in August 2019.
The Prince’s biographer, Nigel Cawthorne, said:
Giuffre’s lawsuit will preclude a return to public duties. 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.
Since the lawsuit was filed, Prince Andrew was seen for the first time on Tuesday evening, with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, at Balmoral Castle.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Topics: News, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Now, Prince Andrew, Sexual abuse, Virginia Roberts Giuffre
