Prince Andrew has reportedly built a $12 million legal “war chest” to launch a case against Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre.
He will claim they never met and the infamous photo of Andrew with his arm around Giuffre was fake, according to British tabloid The Sun. He is consulting with U.S. lawyers and hopes to force a retraction and potentially an apology from Giuffre, according to The Sun. The pair allegedly met in 2001 when Epstein introduced a 17-year-old Giuffre to Andrew in London.
Prince Andrew plotting sensational bid to overturn £3m settlement with accuser https://t.co/m5TPnFIVTd
— The Sun (@TheSun) January 21, 2023
Guiffre and Andrew reportedly agreed to a $3 million settlement for claims he sexually abused her when she was allegedly trafficked by Epstein as a minor, according to The Sun. The agreement did not contain a formal admission of liability or apology from Prince Andrew and was initially reported to be in the range of $12 million.
Prince Andrew allegedly sexually abused Giuffre at Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Epstein’s Manhattan, New York mansion and Epstein’s longtime girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell’s home in London, according to CNN. Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations and withdrew from royal duties in the wake of the allegations.
Maxwell, who is serving 20 years in prison for sex trafficking charges, claimed the infamous photo of Andrew and Giuffre was fake. Maxwell said, “I don’t believe it’s real for a second” and “[i]t’s a fake … there’s never been an original and further there is no photograph. I’ve only ever seen a photocopy of it,” in interview clips released Sunday by TalkTV. (RELATED: REPORT: Ghislaine Maxwell Is Teaching Etiquette Classes In Prison)
Prince Andrew and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson reportedly made over $12 million from selling their Switzerland ski home in December. He also received an inheritance from the late Queen Elizabeth II reportedly worth several million, according to The Sun.
Giuffre withdrew sexual abuse claims against defense attorney Alan Dershowitz in November 2022 and admitted in a statement “I may have made a mistake in identifying Mr. Dershowitz,” CNN reported.