It is suggested by Epstein’s lawyer that Queen may have pressured Andrew to resolve the sexual misconduct case.

According to Alan Dershowitz, a former lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein, it is likely that Queen Elizabeth II pressured Prince Andrew to reach a settlement in his civil sexual assault case.

In February 2022, the Duke of York agreed to pay a settlement in the millions to Virginia Giuffre, an Epstein victim who alleged that Andrew had sexually abused her while she was a minor in the US.

However, Mr. Dershowitz, who was employed by Epstein in 2008, has stated that he believes the Duke of York made a grave error in agreeing to pay millions to resolve the lawsuit.

“I believe he committed a grave error. My suspicion is that his mother influenced him to make that mistake,” Mr Dershowitz stated in an interview with Times Radio on Tuesday.

“I am of the opinion that if he had contested the case, he would have emerged victorious as there were several valid grounds for its dismissal. However, he chose to settle the case instead, possibly due to his own reluctance or the reluctance of those around him to undergo a deposition.”

Frequently, you may resolve legal matters not because you are actually at fault for the specific accusation, but because you are reluctant to acknowledge other actions you have taken.

According to his statement, he expressed sympathy towards Prince Andrew due to the fact that even if all allegations against him are true, the woman accusing him was of legal age.

“She supposedly boasted about it to her friends and was able to gather millions of dollars… I pity him.”

Recent attention has been brought back to the accusations against Epstein and his associates, following a court order for the release of numerous legal documents related to a defamation case brought by Ms Giuffre against Epstein’s former partner and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell. The case was settled in 2017.

The collection contains 40 pieces of evidence provided by Johanna Sjoberg, who alleges that the Duke of York touched her breast while they were both sitting on a couch in Epstein’s Manhattan residence in 2001.

Additional evidence brought up the debate once again from Maxwell’s legal team, who argued that Ms Giuffre’s claims of engaging in sexual activity with Prince Andrew in a bathtub when she was underage were clearly false. They claimed that the size of the bathtub in question would not allow a man of his size to comfortably bathe, let alone engage in sexual activity.

On Monday, previously sealed documents were released, which contained emails submitted to the court by Mr. Dershowitz’s legal team. The emails aimed to discredit Sarah Ransome, one of Epstein’s accusers. They reveal Ms. Ransome’s statement to a reporter that Epstein had covertly recorded and kept videos of Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, and Richard Branson engaging in sexual acts.

The allegations made against all three men have been denied. In a statement, a representative for Mr. Branson’s company Virgin Group stated that any insinuation of Sir Richard Branson’s involvement in a “sex tape” is completely untrue. They also called the accusations unfounded and without merit. The spokesperson also expressed support for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s reprehensible actions and their right to seek justice.

“We strongly deny all accusations made by Sarah Ransome. In 2019, she confessed to The New Yorker that the ‘tapes’ were fabricated.”

The spokesperson for Mr. Clinton referred to an article from The New Yorker in 2019, where Ms. Ransome stated that she had fabricated the tapes in order to bring attention to Epstein’s actions and to make him believe that she possessed evidence that would be revealed if he harmed her.

However, Ms Ransome claimed on Tuesday that she retracted her statement due to threats from Epstein, who warned her and her family of potential harm. She also stated that she is willing to give testimony under oath and revealed to ITV’s Good Morning Britain that there are existing videos.

Source: independent.co.uk