Prince Andrew has plans to launch a £10m legal challenge against Virginia Giuffre over claims she was forced to have sex with him when she was 17 years old.
The Duke of York, who was stopped from using his HRH title after reaching a reaching a settlement with Ms Giuffre last year, has always denied her claims and did not accept culpability.
It is expected he will argue that an infamous photo showing him standing with Ms Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell is fake.
The prince has been given renewed hope after Ms Giuffre, 38, withdrew separate sex abuse allegations against lawyer Alan Dershowitz, after saying she “may have made a mistake”.
A royal source told The Sun: “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.”
It is also believed King Charles backs Andrew’s plan, but will not do so publicly.
It comes after Maxwell claimed in an interview that the infamous photo showing Andrew and Ms Giuffre is “doctored” and that the meeting never happened.
Asked about the photo, she said from jail on an interview on TalkTV: “It’s a fake. I don’t believe it’s real for a second, in fact I’m sure it’s not.
“There is no original, just copies of copies and parts of it, according to some experts, look like it has been photoshopped. I don’t remember her in my home.”
She is currently serving 20 years in prison for child sex trafficking.
The cost of Prince Andrew’s settlement with Ms Giuffre is not known, though reports suggest it was around £3million.
The duke could use money he reportedly inherited from the Queen to fund his legal challenge, as well as from the sale of his Swiss ski chalet.
US lawyers told the Mirror, however, 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 the pain he would inflict on Virginia.”
By LBC
Instagram @theroyalfamily
followers 13 million
From grace to grass is always problematic
