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Following the recent trial and conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell, a New York City judge has allowed the sexual assault case against Prince Andrew to go ahead on Wednesday. This leads many to wonder if this is finally Andrewโs time to face justice.
The civil suit deposed by Virginia Giuffre, who has accused Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, claims that she was trafficked by late convicted sex predator and financier Jeffrey Epstein to then be assaulted by the royal.
At the time of the events, she was 17 years old. In a methodical grooming and trafficking system, now described by many survivors, vulnerable girls as young as 14 were brought by Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein to people in close elite circles to be sexually assaulted.
Prince Andrew, criticized for keeping close ties with Epstein, was named as one of the men who took part in Epsteinโs trafficking ring.
Although the process of slowly distancing Andrew from the Royal family started in November of 2019 after his infamous interview with the BBC, the recent conviction of Epsteinโs main co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, brought significant attention to the case against Andrew in New York.
In Maxwellโs trial, many details about the system of abuse came into light, notably the tactics they used for grooming and trafficking minors, making clear to the world what were the inner workings of this massive and systematic abuse of minors.
When confronted with the facts of the Maxwell case, it seems almost impossible that anyone close to her or Epstein would not be aware of the precise criminal operation.
It was unclear if the trial would be able to go forward until recently. The Prince of Walesโ legal team made an appeal claiming the defendant was included in a 2009 confidential settlement between Epstein and Giuffre.
In its terms, the settlement released Epstein and other โpotential defendantsโ from any further legal action. The Princeโs lawyers argued this included him, but on Wednesday, presiding Judge Kaplan rejected this idea, allowing the trial to continue its course.
Last Thursday’s letter from Buckingham Palace was the last step that cemented Andrewโs fall from grace.
In less than 50 words, the Queen stripped the Prince of Wales of his military roles and royal patronages. The letter also stated he would defend himself in trial as a private citizen and has been asked to stop using โHRMโ.
The Royal familyโs decision to distance themselves from the Prince of Wales just as this long-awaited trial becomes a certainty is a clear indication of their stance on the scandal: they want nothing to do with it.
Although the official distancing shows the Royal family will not defend the alleged abuser, some have asked: if the trial had indeed been thrown out on a technicality, would the family have stayed by his side?
