Lawyer for Prince Andrew’s sex abuse accuser claims Duke of York avoided going to trial over photo

The lawyer for the woman who accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her when she was 17 said there was “strong evidence” in the case.

David Boies, Virginia Giuffre’s representative, said if US prosecutors had wanted to, they could have brought further charges against the prince.

The lawyer said he thought the prince had avoided court because the photo of him with Giuffre, then 17, made him a less credible witness, as he maintains they never met.

He paid a £10m settlement to Ms Giuffre last year in a civil case brought against him in the US without accepting liability and maintaining his innocence and is reportedly seeking to challenge the ruling.

Prince Andrew was forced to step down from his royal duties in 2019 and is unlikely to take a formal role in his brother’s coronation as a result of the scandal.

Prince Andrew (left) pictured with Ms Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell, which Mail On Sunday has verified as genuine

Boies told Piers Morgan in an interview on TalkTV that the controversial photograph of the two of them together “made it clear that he couldn’t credibly say he never met her.”

Sun reported that Mr Boies suggested that once a jury had decided that the prince’s claim that he had never met Ms Giuffre was not credible, it would be difficult for them to believe that they had not had sexual relations.

‘You have their testimony and you have their complete denial. The question is, is it believable or not?

The lawyer said he was disappointed in the way the case had been handled, and suggested that had the Duke of York been “normal”, more charges would have been brought against him.

“He could have been criminally prosecuted if prosecutors had jurisdiction over him or wanted to.

“I think one of the things that was disappointing was the lightness with which prosecutors and the British authorities treated this.

I don’t know if it was because he was a member of the royal family or if he was just rich and could afford good lawyers.

‘Our justice system in the US, as well as our justice system in the UK, heavily favors people who are well represented.

“I think if he had been a regular guy who had done what he did, prosecutors would have looked at it differently.”

Asked if he thought criminal charges would have been filed, the attorney replied that it was a “clear possibility.”

‘I do not want to say that [he would have been charged] because I think you have to look at what all the evidence is. I haven’t seen enough evidence to know about criminal charges.

Prince Andrew has reportedly put together an £8m war chest to fight the deal he agreed with Ms Giuffre last year to settle a civil case.

The disgraced prince is understood to be planning a comeback that will restore his tarnished reputation, including possible legal action against his sexual abuse accuser, Virginia Giuffre.

Prince Andrew has reportedly put together an £8m war chest to fight the deal he agreed with Ms Giuffre last year.

The Duke of York, 62, has been watching “very closely” the progress of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the US (Prince Harry and Meghan Markle pictured in 2019)

He is also reputed to be looking for new staff to build his team as he contemplates moving to the United States.

The furore surrounding the case saw him stripped of his honorary military titles and any return to public life seems unlikely.

According to inside sources, the 62-year-old Duke of York has been watching “very closely” the progress of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the United States.

The 62-year-old was stripped of his royal titles and roles last year, but experts say he is “less concerned” about the situation than people realize.

A source close to Andrew told The Sun that he has been following the Sussexes’ journey as he considers ways to “carve out a new career”.

Andrew is apparently impressed by how Harry and Meghan were able to “establish a new working life away from the royal family” in California, friends have said.

The source claimed that he is “very interested” in “business and charity”, but unlike his nephew, he would steer clear of Netflix-style projects.

The royals are also reportedly assembling a team of their own. It is understood that he recently lost his communications officer of two years.

Prince Andrew has reportedly put together an £8m war chest to fight the deal he agreed with Ms Giuffre last year.

The news comes as it is reported that the prince may be forced to move out of the £30m Windsor home because he tells friends he can’t afford upkeep.

The duke said he will effectively be forced to leave Royal Lodge in April, when his annual grant of £249,000 is slashed.

Royal Lodge, where the prince, 63, lives with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York, also 63, is understood to require extensive work.

The Duke has told his friends that he feels he is being singled out, as his only other annual income is a small pension from the Navy.

A friend said: ‘It feels like his brother wants to evict him.’

But last night, a source told the Daily Mail that the claims appear to be based on “fears, not full facts”.

It is understood that the King will not leave him homeless or penniless, but he wants Andrew to use his own money to pay for things.

The king is expected to continue to support his brother if he wishes, with fears the duke will be left with no place to live or ‘unfounded’ money.

He is believed to have guaranteed Andrew an income, albeit a small one, and a house, and is understood to have agreed to privately pay for the Duke’s security, estimated at £3m a year, after the Home Office sacked Andrew. his protection officers from Scotland Yard.

MailOnline has reached out to Andrew’s representatives for comment.