Prince Andrew should 'get out of lawsuit' to avoid 'modern-day Hindenburg' - expert
PRINCE ANDREW should settle and avoid going to trial against Virginia Giuffre, according to a reputation management expert.
Prince Andrew ‘demands jury trial’ in civil sex case
Prince Andrew risks a "modern-day Hindenburg" disaster if he decides to go to trial, a US brand and reputation management expert Eric Schiffer has claimed. The Duke of York is being sued by Ms Giuffre in New York.
Among her allegations against Prince Andrew, Ms Giuffre, formerly Virginia Roberts, is accusing the Duke of York of "sexual assault and battery.
She claims she was trafficked by late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to Andrew on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17, and forced to have sex with him.
Ms Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages.
Prince Andrew categorically denies any wrongdoing.
On Wednesday, he demanded a "trial by jury" in his official response to Ms Giuffre's claims.
Speaking prior to this latest development, Mr Schiffer said he believes the Duke should "get out" of the lawsuit.
He told Express.co.uk: "I think the best counsel Prince Andrew could have been given would have been to never get within a 10-mile radius of Epstein."
Asked if he would advise the Duke to settle, he continued: "Whether he settles or not, getting out of this lawsuit is crucial to protect any level of dignity for the family and himself."
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Going to a full trial, Mr Schiffer claimed, could be harmful for Andrew's reputation for the attention the case would attract around the world and the coverage of every single detail.
He said: "It would get covered wall to wall around the world."
He added: "He needs to find every last dollar to escape what would be a modern-day Hindenburg for any lasting essence of dignity and reputation for himself."
In his recent official response to the lawsuit filed by Ms Giuffre last summer, Prince Andrew issued 41 denials, rejecting all allegations of wrongdoing and also the fact he was a "close friend" of Epstein's girlfriend and convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
He also said 40 times he "lacks sufficient information to admit or deny" other claims made by his accuser.
Among the claims by Ms Giuffre he refused to deny or confirm there is her statement she was a victim of Epstein.
While he demanded a trial by jury, he also submitted 11 defences calling for the case to be dismissed.
Among the eight admissions included in his response, Andrew acknowledged he is a UK citizen and resides at Royal Lodge in Windsor.
He also admitted he stayed at Epstein's Manhattan mansion in 2010 and walked with him in Central Park during that same visit.
Prince Andrew's official response to the lawsuit came a few days after Buckingham Palace issued a statement announcing he had returned his military and royal patronages to the Queen.
The announcement also stressed the Duke was to face the lawsuit as a private citizen.
The statement read: "With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen.
"The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."
While he retains his full royal title, royal sources said the Duke won't use his HRH style in any official capacity anymore.
This move was taken one day after Judge Lewis A. Kaplan had ruled against Andrew's lawyers' request to throw out the civil lawsuit.