Guests yesterday visited the Duke of York, 61, at Balmoral, the Queen's 550-acre estate, despite tomorrow's looming challenge from a New York court (pictured: Andrew in 2001)
Prince Andrew held a shooting party yesterday just two days before sexual claims against him were due to be heard in court, according to reports.
Guests yesterday visited the Duke of York, 61, at Balmoral, the Queen's 550-acre estate, despite tomorrow's looming challenge from a New York court, The Sun reports.
The former sex slave of Jeffrey Epstein, Virginia Guiffre, 38, accuses Andrew of abusing her three times when she was under 18. He denies any wrongdoing.
A royal source said: 'This is so brazen it is unbelievable. Prince Andrew is carrying on like nothing has happened and as if he hasn't got a care in the world.
'It has been bad enough that he appears to have been seeking refuge at Balmoral, where the Queen is trying to have quiet time after a tough year... and it is also tone deaf as if he does not care about what is going on with the legal case.'
Victims of Jeffrey Epstein have now voiced fears they would never see his former friend Andrew in court, despite the writ served to him for the civil case where he is accused of rape and sexual assault.
Spencer Kuvin, a lawyer representing nine Epstein victims, said Andrew's team will lodge a motion to dismiss proceedings within days under 'numerous' grounds, and Judge Lewis Kaplan might not accept the writ was properly served.
He told the Mirror: 'The victims I represent don't believe Andrew will ever be held accountable for his actions.
'The justice system will never hold him accountable.
'There is no chance of getting Andrew to court, but he absolutely should be tried in the court of public opinion and that's what this process is doing very successfully.'
He added: 'Andrew should step forward, be a man and answer to his accuser. He should present himself in court. But he's clearly going to hide behind his lawyers.'
Guests yesterday visited the Duke of York, 61, at Balmoral, the Queen's 550-acre estate, despite tomorrow's looming challenge from a New York court (pictured: Andrew in April)
A royal source said: 'It has been bad enough that he appears to have been seeking refuge at Balmoral, where the Queen is trying to have quiet time after a tough year... and it is also tone deaf as if he does not care about what is going on with the legal case'
It comes following reports that Andrew has assembled a 'dream team' of high-powered American lawyers and feels 'confident' that the civil case against him for rape and sexual assault will be thrown out of court.
A source familiar with the legal team appointed by the Duke of York to fight a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed by accuser Virginia Roberts – which has its first court hearing tomorrow – told The Mail on Sunday last night: 'The Prince's UK team has slowly but surely been putting together a team of highly-skilled, big-name lawyers to fight on his behalf in the US.
The former sex slave of Jeffrey Epstein, Virginia Guiffre, 38, accuses Andrew of abusing her
