Prince Andrew has only TWO options left – and silence isn’t one of them, says lawyer for Epstein and Ghislaine victims
PRINCE Andrew has only two options left - and silence isn't one of them, a lawyer for victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell has said.
Brad Edwards, an attorney who has represented dozens of victims of the twisted couple - including Andrew accuser Virginia Roberts, said he believes the Duke of York will now have no choice to face the allegations against him.
Mr Edwards said that Andrew, 61, has missed his chance to cooperate with investigators - and now he only has two choices.
He can either volunteer himself to offer information, or face being compelled to do so.
The top lawyer added that Andrew has been on " the Maxwell/Epstein team" - and now he stands alone.
Andrew is accused of abusing Virginia, now 38, when she was just 17 at Maxwell's townhouse in London and on two other occasions.
He is facing a lawsuit filed by her team which accuses him of sexual assault - allegations which the Duke's lawyers have labelled "baseless".
The Royal claims he has no memory of meeting Virginia, but she claims she was trafficked to him while being used as a sex slave by Epstein and Maxwell.
Andrew has strongly denied all allegations against him - and claims he had no knowledge of the vile couple's crimes.
Most read in News
But the Duke is facing renewed pressure after his pal Maxwell, 60, a British socialite, was convicted and is facing the rest of her life in jail for her role in Epstein's sexual pyramid scheme.
Mr Edwards told The Sun Online: "Maxwell’s conviction is long overdue but welcomed by the hundreds of victims of what is probably the most powerful and complex sex-trafficking operation to ever exist.
"Her friend, Prince Andrew, has had many chances to volunteer the information he knows and help the many victims.
"He has chosen to position himself on the Maxwell/Epstein team; a team that no longer exists to protect him."
Mr Edwards, who was honored last month by the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for his role in helping bring down Epstein, represented "Kate" - one of four accusers - the case against Maxwell.
Andrew is known to have been pals with Epstein and Maxwell for some years, even inviting them to a number of events in the UK.
Ghislaine, who is understood to have known the Royal since university, is believed to have been the one who introduced Epstein to the Duke.
Mr Edwards laid out the Andrew has a key choice to make after the conviction of his old friend.
He really has two choices - come forward voluntarily with all the information he has and answer questions under oath or come forward involuntarily and answer more questions
Brad Edwards
"He really has two choices - come forward voluntarily with all the information he has and answer questions under oath or come forward involuntarily and answer more questions," Mr Edwards told The Sun Online.
"He, and only he, is to blame for these unfavorable options."
Andrew will be hoping for a boost as later today as secret deal between Virginia and Epstein is set to be made public.
The 2009 settlement had been kept under seal - but judges last month ordered it to be released on January 3, unless "good cause" could be shown otherwise.
The Duke's lawyers maintain that a clause in the agreement precludes him from being sued by Virginia.
In October, Virginia’s lawyers agreed to hand over a copy of the settlement for Andrew's lawyers to examine.
But his legal team have been lobbying for it to be placed on public record.
And they may now get their wish after judges Loretta Preska and Lewis Kaplan – who are overseeing the lawsuit against the duke – last month backed the claim and ordered it to be made public.
Andrew has not been charged with any crimes, but the prince is trying to have Virginia's lawsuit dismissed.
Both sides have seen the multi-millionaire paedophile's settlement and made use of it in their arguments, despite the fact it is secret.
Andrew Brettler, the duke's lawyer, said the undisclosed documents will release him from liability as they cover "royalty" and anyone Virginia might sue.
But Virginia's lawyer in the civil case David Boies countered that it applied "at most" to people involved in underlying litigation in Florida, where Epstein had a home and his "house of horrors", and Andrew should not use it as a ";get out of jail free card".
And the secret deal does not explicitly rule out legal action against Andrew, the reports.
The document does not name the duke and contains only opaque, broad references to Epstein's associates, according to the newspaper.
Mr Boies has described the agreement as "irrelevant" to the case.
Andrew has repeatedly denied all allegations against him, which includes rape in the first degree, and his attorney's have claimed his accuser has a "tendency to change her story".
They also previously warned that she could be creating "false memories" with her claims.
High-powered lawyers for Andrew and Virginia will go head-to-head in New York on Tuesday to decide the future of her lawsuit.
The prince is desperate to avoid a civil trial against his accuser — who could face his disgraced pal Maxwell in court at her sentencing by giving a victim impact statement.
While Andrew's fate is to be determined, Maxwell could spend the rest of her life in prison after being convicted of five out of six counts of sex trafficking for Epstein’s paedophile ring.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Epstein, 66, hanged himself in 2019.
And there could be at least seven witnesses Virginia's lawyers may call to try and link Andrew to her, Epstein and Maxwell.