Prince Andrew urged to challenge £10m settlement with sex crime accuser Virginia Giuffre by lawyer she also sued
30 January 2023, 15:21 | Updated: 30 January 2023, 15:25
Prince Andrew should challenge his £10 million settlement with Virginia Giuffre, who accused him of sexually assaulting her while she was underage, a lawyer whom she also accused of sex attacks has said.
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Alan Dershowitz was accused of sexual assault by Ms Giuffre, but she dropped the claim in November and said she may have made a mistake in his case.
That has reportedly caused the Duke of York to believe her credibility has been undermined and it may be worth challenging the £9.7 million case, which he settled out of court.
Mr Dershowitz told the Telegraph that Andrew should try to get the settlement back, adding that it was a "mistake" not to take the case to trial.
He said: "I have never understood why he accepted the settlement. There were many, many good defences he could have raised. I’ve thought right from the beginning, as soon as the deal was done, it was a mistake to do it.
"He should pursue every legal remedy and the media should investigate thoroughly all of the allegations because this is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Mr Dershowitz, who worked for Jeffrey Epstein in 2008 and has had several other celebrity clients including Donald Trump, added: “I think that the media ought to do a deep investigation to determine the whole truth.
“Everybody should be interested in the truth coming out, the whole truth about everything and it’s very important for the media to start digging deeply into all the allegations and do their due diligence on it … That’s what should be reported, not just one side of the story.”
The case has all but ended Andrew's life in the public eye.
He strenuously maintains his innocence and has not been charged with any crimes. The duke returned his royal and military titles last January after discussions with the Queen.
An alleged royal source told The Sun last week: “Andrew has always insisted he is innocent and finally wants to prove it in a US court.
“He was pressured into settling the case to avoid overshadowing the Platinum Jubilee and has paid a heavy price, personally and professionally."
Lucia Osborne-Crowley on Prince Andrew's out of court settlement with Virginia Giuffre.
Andrew's camp has claimed that King Charles supports his bid to reverse the verdict.But the King's advisers have reportedly booted Andrew out of Buckingham Palace and told him to find a new place to live.
US lawyers told the Mirror that Andrew can "forget" about the legal challenge.Lisa Bloom, who represents several of Jeffrey Epstein's victims, said it is "not going to happen".
She said: "Prince Andrew signed his name to a settlement. And now he wants out? Forget it. Not going to happen."Nor should it, because [of] the pain he would inflict on Virginia."
