'MARATHON NOT A SPRINT'
Prince Andrew vows to defend himself in Virginia Giuffre sex case ‘marathon’ as Queen strips him of his titles
PRINCE Andrew has vowed to defend himself against a "marathon" civil lawsuit by sex abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre as the Queen strips him of his titles.
The Duke of York's military titles and royal patronages have been returned to the Queen, Buckingham Palace sensationally announced this evening.
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The move comes after Andrew's lawyers failed to persuade a US judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him that accuses him of sexually abusing Ms Giuffre when she was 17— which he vehemently denies.
A source close to the Duke told Sun Online: “Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling.
"However, it was not a judgement on the merits of Ms Giuffre’s allegations.
"This is a marathon not a sprint and the Duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.”
Andrew had been expected to agree to an out-of-court settlement with Ms Giuffre.
It was understood that he was set to pay £10million from the sale of his Swiss chalet to make this possible.
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Legal experts say it is his “least worst option” after a US judge ruled sex abuse claims should be heard in court.
A full civil trial with a jury could see Andrew cross-examined about his sex life, links to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and asked exactly what he did to his accuser.
Sworn statements from ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and daughters Beatrice and Eugenie are a possibility.
But the new statement from our source suggests that at least for the time being the Duke is going to fight it and not settle yet.
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The Queen cuts Andrew adrift...
- Prince Andrew has been stripped of all his military titles
- He will no longer be able to use 'His Royal Highness' in any official capacity
- He was told the decision in a face-to-face meeting with Her Majesty
- The decision was approved by the Queen - but discussed 'widely with the Royal Family'
- Andrew can't 'hide behind' his royal privledges and is fighting the sex abuse lawsuit 'as a private citizen'
- He will not undertake any public duties, the Palace confirmed
- Prince Andrew's former titles will be distributed among other members of the royal family
Announcing the stripping of Andrew's title, Buckingham Palace said in a statement this evening: "With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen.
"The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."
According to a source, the decision was "widely discussed amongst the royal family" and all of his titles have been returned with immediate effect.
In time they will be redistributed to other family members, according to Royal source.
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It comes as 152 veterans wrote an open letter to the Queen demanding she strip her middle son of “all his military ranks and titles”.
The letter's authors said: “Were this any other senior military officer it is inconceivable that he would still be in the post.
“Regardless of the result of Virginia Guiffre’s civil case against Prince Andrew, his position in Britain’s armed forces is now untenable.
“Officers of the British armed forces must adhere to the very highest standards. These are standards that Prince Andrew has fallen well short of.
“He has brought the services he is associated with into disrepute.”
The letter's signatories included Wing Commander David Hill, former chief exec of charity Combat Stress, whose patron is Prince Charles.
It added: “We understand that he is your son, but we are writing to you in your capacity as head of state and commander-in-chief of the Army, Navy and Air Force.”
Three choices he faces, none of them good
1. Face accuser in court
FACE Virginia Giuffre in court, “tough it out” and fight to clear his name.
But experts say that strategy is extremely high-risk, pitting a senior royal against a victim of alleged sex abuse in the US court system.
Even if Andrew was determined to challenge Ms Giuffre’s claims — which he firmly denies — the reputational damage could still be immense.
He would very likely be cross-examined via video-link about some extremely personal matters — including his sexual tastes.
2. Offer a cash settlement
SETTLE and offer Virginia Giuffre a lot of money to walk away.
Paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was a close pal of Andrew, paid Giuffre £370,000 for a “non-prosecution agreement”.
Andrew would almost certainly have to pay up to £10million to secure a “no liability” deal.
Even then, there is no guarantee of new deeply damaging material not being made public as negotiations drag on.
Effectively paying off an Epstein victim also means his reputation will never recover.
3. Walk away from the case
REFUSE to engage in the case against him. His accuser would be almost certain to win a judgment by default and damages and costs stretching into millions.
The reputational cost would be far worse to Andrew — as well as provoking the fury of the UK’s most powerful ally.
Andrew is still the subject of a US “mutual legal assistance” request to the UK — filed when it sought to question him in its Epstein probe.
It has been gathering dust but Andrew could now put the Home Office in a tricky position.
The missive was written by Republic, and anti-monarchy campaign group.
“We are particularly upset and angry that Prince Andrew remains a member of the armed forces and continues to hold military titles, positions and ranks,” it said.
Prince Andrew was acolonel of the elite Grenadier Guards, Royal Colonel to the Royal Highland Fusileers and Colonel-in-chief of the 9/12th Lancers, the Royal Irish Regiment, the Yorkshire Regiment, the Small Arms School Corps.
Prince Andrew denies claims Giuffre was forced to have sex him more than 20 years ago at Ghislaine Maxwell's London home when she was just 17.
Her allegations have dogged Andrew since she first made them in 2011, when a now infamous photograph emerged of him with his hand around her.
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Giuffre’s feared lawyer David Boies will grill the royal in front of jurors under oath - and could also question Andrew’s former wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, and their daughter Princess Beatrice.
The ruling is the latest setback for Andrew, who has tried to disassociate himself from Maxwell and her paedo ex Jeffrey Epstein.
Queen 'heartbroken' over Prince Andrew scandal as Royal family support 'thin on the ground', expert claims
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