ROYALSPrince Charles & Prince William 'Shocked' Prince Andrew Is Demanding A Jury Trial In Sexual Assault Case, Urging Him To Settle The Matter 'As Soon As Possible,' Source Spills
Jan. 28 2022, Published 1:28 p.m. ET
Members of the royal family are hoping Prince Andrew can clean up his legal mess quickly.
Prince Charles and Prince William are urging the Duke of York to get his sexual assault case straightened out ASAP, according to The Sun. The royal father-son duo apparently want the whole ordeal "settled as soon as possible," as there are "deep worries" amongst the royals that "this will get worse and worse for the family."
Andrew, 61, is facing a case against Virginia Giuffre, who claims to have been forced to have sex with the royal on three separate occasions when she was still a minor. The now-38-year-old is currently bringing a civil suit against Andrew to a U.S. court.
After the judge on the case denied Andrew's attempts to get the lawsuit dismissed, the royal's legal team filed a request to have a trial by jury — but his family members don't think it's such a good idea.
According to the outlet, Andrew's lawyers are preparing him to testify for nearly seven hours of deposition, which other royals are worried could do more harm than good, considering his 2019 Newsnight interview, where he denied ever meeting Virginia. (A photo of Andrew posing with Virginia later revealed he was clearly lying at the time of the interview.)
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"After the car crash of Newsnight, no one thinks a seven-hour deposition is a good idea," a source reportedly explained. "If he were to appear in court it could be many times worse and senior royals were deeply shocked when they heard that he was demanding a jury trial."
As OK! previously reported, lawyer Mitchell Epner recently expressed that if Andrew does go to trial, he will likely lose regardless of the verdict.
"If he goes to trial, he will either lose by having a verdict against him or he will lose because it will be the most pyrrhic victory in history because every single bit of dirty laundry he's ever had will be aired out in public," Epner pointed out.
He added that Andrew's demand for a trial by jury makes sense, considering his lawyers' failed attempts to get the case thrown out entirely.
The attorney explained Andrew's request is a "standard thing" to do in case Virginia drops her own demand for a jury trial, which would leave Andrew "stuck in front of a judge," who so far "has shown enormous antipathy" toward his lawyers, if he does go to trial.
