If Prince Andrew loses his sex abuse case, he could face charges of up to £14 million ($19 million). American lawyers claim he is facing a rape lawsuit in the United States, although a court hearing might take up to five years.
The Queen, who is 95 years old, could be 100 years old by the time her son is tried in a civil court due to legal obstacles that could cause the case in New York to be delayed. Reports said that could increase the chances that Prince Charles will be king by then.
Andrew, who is reported to be worth £32.5 million ($45.03 million), is accused of rape in the first degree, sexual battery, and sexual abuse in the civil case, and UK investigators have began looking into the allegations.
Virginia Giuffre, 38, mother-of-three, claims she was forced to have sex with the Duke when she was 17 on the orders of paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein — and that the royal was aware she was being trafficked.
Andrew, 61, has previously vehemently denied the allegations. He claimed that he had no sexual contact with Giuffre and never recalled meeting her.
"To punish someone worth a billion dollars you have got to hit them in their pockets and punish them accordingly," top US civil lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who represents several of Epstein's victims, told the Daily Mirror.
According to Kuvin, Andrew could "easily" face damages of more than £14 million ($19 million). "There [will be] huge legal hurdles in the federal court before they will be able to even begin the process of litigating," Kuvin added.
According to The New York Times, Epstein committed suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial in New York.
Another online tabloid said FBI detained his close acquaintance, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, in July 2020.
Maxwell is accused of obtaining and grooming minor females for Epstein, which she fiercely rejects.
Giuffre's case will be complex, according to Kuvin, and might drag on for years.
He claims that there will be significant legal hurdles to overcome in federal court before even beginning the litigation process.
Kuvin noted that if Andrew's legal team does not get the lawsuit dropped, it would not surprise him if it took long to appear before a jury.
Kuvin complimented Giuffre for initiating legal action against the prince despite the challenges.
Andrew, who is presently in Scotland with the Queen, has 21 days to reply to Giuffre's lawsuit.
He stood down as a senior Royal Family member in 2019 following a catastrophic BBC interview.
The Mirror said he also lost £250,000 ($346,413) a year from the taxpayer-funded Sovereign Grant, though the Queen is said to be paying him money from her Duchy of Lancaster estate.
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