What now for Prince Andrew? Royal deals with examination after Ghislaine Maxwell’s arrest

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What now for Prince Andrew? Royal faces scrutiny after Ghislaine Maxwell's arrest

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LONDON — As the lurid headings swirl in the wake of the arrest of Jeffrey Epstein’s long time confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, concerns once again are rising over what follows for Britain’s Prince Andrew, who is captured up in the prominent affair.

Maxwell, a British socialite, lags bars at a detention center in Brooklyn, New York, and is anticipated to appear in court in New York next Tuesday, having actually been apprehended in New Hampshire recently. She will deal with charges on 4 counts in connection with the trafficking of minors for criminal sex and 2 counts of perjury.

Maxwell, 58, has actually not gotten in a plea, however has actually long rejected any misdeed. Her lawyer decreased to comment after her arrest.

Meanwhile, the scandal that has actually for years dogged Andrew, 60, the 2nd child of Queen Elizabeth II, does not seem disappearing.

“It’s a bit of a nightmare at the moment,” British public relations representative Mark Borkowski informed NBC News. “He’s inextricably linked with this story, there is no exit strategy.”

Prince Charles, Princess Beatrice, Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, throughout Trooping The Colour, the queen’s yearly birthday parade in London.Chris Jackson / Getty Images

Borkowski, who is not dealing with Andrew however has actually dealt with celebs consisting of the “King of Pop” Michael Jackson and the comic Joan Rivers in the past, stated much now rests on precisely what Maxwell informs U.S. authorities.

He recommended Andrew must either remain quiet or welcome U.S. authorities “to come and meet him on home turf” in the United Kingdom and reveal that he’s trying to “take the heat off him” by describing his relationship with both Epstein and Maxwell.

Andrew has actually acknowledged that he understood both Epstein and Maxwell, the disgraced investor’s formergirlfriend, however has actually rejected any misdeed.

In an extensively panned tv interview with the BBC in the fall, Andrew stated that he had actually been presented to Epstein by Maxwell, which he went to stick with him in New York for 4 days in 2010. The journey was to break off the relationship, Andrew stated, after Epstein served time for getting and acquiring a small for prostitution.

Andrew has actually likewise rejected accusations that he had any type of sexual contact with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who has actually consistently stated she was trafficked by Epstein when she was 17 and directed to have sexual relations with the prince.

Andrew stated that he had no recollection of ever satisfying her — regardless of an extensively flowed picture revealing the set together.

Virginia Giuffre with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell at Prince Andrew’s London house in an image launched with court files.

Epstein, 66, passed away by suicide in August while waiting for trial on sex trafficking charges. Prosecutors implicated the politically linked investor of taking advantage of lots of minor ladies in New York and Florida in the early 2000s.

After his death, district attorneys swore to continue the examination and the case brought restored attention to a number of prominent individuals in Epstein’s orbit, consisting of Andrew.

The royal quickly stepped down from his public tasks after the dreadful BBC interview, stating in a declaration that he wanted to assist “any appropriate law enforcement agency with their investigations, if required.”

After Maxwell was apprehended Thursday, the acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss for the Southern District of New York informed press reporters: “I’m not going to comment on anyone’s status in this investigation. But I would say we would welcome Prince Andrew coming in to talk with us. We would like to have the benefit of his statement.”

Andrew’s attorneys have actually formerly stated that they provided his assistance as a witness to U.S. authorities on a minimum of 3 events this year, while his group shot back that they were “bewildered” at the Department of Justice’s most current remarks.

Because Andrew is just a witness, NBC News legal expert Danny Cevallos stated, U.S. lawyers might not oblige him to appear. Although he cautioned that “someone who may be considered a witness can quickly become a target, depending on what their answers to the questions are.”

He stated that U.S. lawyers might take a trip to the U.K. to interview Andrew however might not oblige him to appear.

“If I was defending Prince Andrew, he would never leave the U.K. again, and he would only give carefully vetted written statements,” Cevallos stated.

If Andrew does take a trip to the U.S., Cevallos stated that attorneys for Epstein’s victims might see him as a prospective civil accused and serve him with either a subpoena or a claim.

But whether Andrew takes a trip to America might not be totally as much as him.

If he is charged with a criminal activity or sentenced in the U.S., he might deal with extradition procedures, although legal specialists state this is extremely not likely.

Both politically, due to the fact that of the relationship in between the 2 nations, and lawfully, as a member of the royal household, Andrew might be safeguarded by crown or sovereign resistance.

Mark Stephens, a media legal representative at the London-based law office Howard Kennedy LLP, who represented British cavalry officer James Hewitt after accusations of an affair with Princess Diana, stated U.S. authorities were attempting to “ensnare” the royal which it was not likely he would be extradited to the U.S.

Stephens stated the concept of sovereign resistance — that makes specific people immune from prosecution — would make it challenging for Andrew to be summoned to the U.S.

If U.S. district attorneys wished to collect info, they might do so through composed testaments or district attorneys taking a trip to the U.K. to gather proof, Stephens stated. This was done just recently when U.S. authorities pertained to talk to U.K.-based survivors of the founded guilty rapist and disgraced Hollywood magnate Harvey Weinstein.

Even if he was extradited to America, Andrew would be under “no obligation to give evidence,” Stephens included. “You can subpoena someone to court, but you can’t force someone to give evidence,” he stated, pointing out a person’s legal right to silence.

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However, Juliet Sorensen, a previous federal district attorney and a teacher of law at Northwestern University, stated the royal would probably not be protected by sovereign resistance.

“Sovereign immunity would not apply to a case in which a sovereign has engaged in criminal activity,” she stated. “If somebody is participating in sexual trafficking and exploitation of minors and young women, that has absolutely nothing to do with their duties as a sovereign, so sovereign immunity would not apply.”

Meanwhile, Maxwell stays behind bars after district attorneys stated she postured an “extreme” flight danger due to the fact that of her access to significant funds and American, French and British passports.

Her arraignment and very first court hearing will take place on Tuesday, according to a court order, and will occur online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Maxwell played a critical role in helping Epstein identify, befriend and groom minor victims for abuse,” Strauss, the U.S. lawyer, stated. “In some cases, Maxwell participated in the abuse herself.”

Andrew’s consultants must be “glued” to any statement Maxwell offers, states Borkowski, the PR expert, as the case will continue to gather headings, leaving the prince in the eye of the British media storm.

For now, “there’s nothing much more he can do,” Borkowski counseled.