Prince Andrew’s costly group of advisers embody a solicitor nicknamed ‘Good Information Gary’ and a barrister who acted for Britain’s most violent prisoner.
The Duke of York, 61, is presently awaiting a ruling on whether or not a lawsuit associated to allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre, then 17, on three events in 2001 might be dismissed by a choose in New York.
Ms Giuffre, now 38, claims she was trafficked by billionaire intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein and girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell to have intercourse with the prince – at Maxwell’s London dwelling, at Epstein’s New York mansion and on his non-public island within the Caribbean.
Prince Andrew vehemently denies the claims, however his authorized group is presently battling to have the case thrown out on a ‘technicality’ on the idea she waived her proper to sue him when she signed an earlier £370,000 ($500,000) authorized settlement with Epstein.
They’ve additionally accused Ms Giuffre of being after ‘one other payday at his expense’.
A ruling on whether or not the case will proceed to trial may very well be re returned as early as tomorrow following a listening to on Tuesday.
The allegations, although, have mired the duke for the final two years and led to a automobile crash interview with Emily Maitlis on Newsnight during which he claimed he was ‘unable to sweat’.
And now particulars of his costly listing of advisers, totalling an estimated £2 million, The Sunday Instances studies.
The listing features a solicitor nicknamed ‘Good Information Gary’ and a barrister who represented crime boss Terry Adams and Britain’s most violent prisoner Charles Bronson.
Prince Andrew pictured throughout an interview with Emily Maitlis on Newsnight. The duke was initially reluctant to seem, however was satisfied to provide the interview by his non-public secretary
Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts, aged 17 at Ghislaine Maxwell’s townhouse in London, in March 2001
Prince Andrew got here beneath hearth after he was noticed taking a stroll by means of New York’s Central Park with Epstein following his jail time period in 2011
The duk’e ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, is known to have additionally been concerned in briefing towards Ms Giuffre.
A supply stated the scenario ‘is a shambles’ and Andrew is ‘getting horrible recommendation’, whereas he has not been helped by his household having ‘given up on him’.
The allegations first got here to mild in 2011, however the prince didn’t present public clarification till the November 2019 interview on Newsnight.
Sources say he agreed to the interview as a consequence of be a passion to repair his fame earlier than his sixtieth birthday and the marriage of daughter Princess Beatrice.
It’s understood he needed to ‘get on the entrance foot’ and eventually get his facet of the story throughout to the general public.
Andrew was initially dismissive of showing on Newsnight for an interview on the idea his public relations adviser Jason Stein, former particular adviser to Amber Rudd, believed it to be dangerous thought.
Nevertheless, he was subsequently satisfied by his non-public secretary Amanda Thirsk.
Prince Andrew’s former public relations adviser Jason Stein informed the duke to not seem on the BBC present
Amanda Thirsk, pictured at St Paul’s Cathedral in 2016, acquired tens of hundreds of kilos in a authorized settlement after being sacked Andrew’s non-public secretary
Mr Stein stop after she overruled him.
Within the interview, Andrew denied claims that he slept with Ms Giuffre on three separate events and stated: ‘I can completely categorically let you know it by no means occurred. I’ve no recollection of ever assembly this woman, none in any respect.’
The duke additionally stated he couldn’t sweat owing to a medical situation from the Falklands Battle and he couldn’t have slept with Ms Giuffre as he was selecting up Princess Beatrice from a youngsters’s celebration at a Pizza Categorical restaurant in Woking, Surrey.
Whereas he left the interview believing it had been a hit, regardless of failure to specific convey sympathy for the victims of Epstein, it was a fairly the other.
Following his look on the BBC present, Andrew was requested to step again from public duties.
Ms Thirsk, in the meantime, acquired a fee of tens of hundreds of kilos in a authorized settlement after she was sacked.
Not lengthy after the Newsnight interview, longstanding household pal and barrister Stephen Ferguson determined a extra structured method can be finest.
Mr Ferguson, who represented Clerkenwell crime syndicate the Adams household and Mr Bronson, then created a ‘working group’ of authorized and PR professionals to encompass the duke.
Clare Montgomery QC, an extradition lawyer as soon as utilized by Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, and Mark Gallagher, a PR veteran, additionally fashioned a part of a group that met remotely throughout the early days of the pandemic.
Gary Bloxsome, a felony defence solicitor on the stellar Blackfords legislation agency, who grew to become ‘co-head of the dispute decision group’.
Mr Bloxsome was introduced on board by Mr Ferguson to take care of any felony issues that might come up out of the FBI investigation, in addition to a probe being carried out by the Metropolitan Police in Epstein’s affairs in London.
He represented former Crystal Palace FC footballer Jason Puncheon following allegations of a nightclub brawl.
Mr Bloxsome gained Andrew’s belief and have become his ‘inside circle of 1’, in line with a supply.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, pictured in Rome, Italy, in December. She cut up with the prince in 1996, however was concerned in briefing towards Ms Giuffre
Longstanding household pal and barrister Stephen Ferguson determined a extra structured method can be finest. Mr Ferguson, who beforehand represented Charles Bronson, created a ‘working group’ of authorized and PR professionals
Mark Gallagher, a PR veteran, fashioned a part of a group that met remotely throughout the early days of the pandemic
Clare Montgomery QC, an extradition lawyer as soon as utilized by Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, former a part of Andrew’s group
Gary Bloxsome, from London legislation agency Blackfords, was nicknamed ‘Good Information Gary’ as he at all times offered the duke with a ‘finest case state of affairs’
They key to his success, although, was that he insisted on solely briefing prince on the ‘finest case state of affairs’, whatever the scenario.
It led to a nickname of ‘Good Information Gary’.
Mr Gallagher’s involvement with Andrew ended with efforts to discredit Ms Giuffre, whereas he additionally engaged with a Twitter person who claimed to have proof {that a} now notorious image of the prince with Ms Giuffre at Maxwell’s property in London was doctored.
The duchess, in the meantime, additionally approached reporters asking them to help in probing Ms Giuffre.
Mr Bloxsome, although, continued to insist that Andrew be silent on the problem.
Nevertheless, this led to Ms Giuffre’s authorized group having the ability to ‘personal the narrative’, a supply stated.
The group then employed Andrew Brettler, a California-based prime lawyer, to contest the lawsuit in New York late within the day.
Court docket filings have proven that, as way back as September, Mr Bloxsome instructed the technique of utilizing the £370,000 Epstein settlement as a option to have the case thrown out, the Instances studies.
Choose Lewis Kaplan informed Mr Brettler that he would ‘have the choice fairly quickly’ on whether or not the case might be dismissed.
The listening to was stated to be a ‘bruising’ encounter for Andrew’s authorized group, with one knowledgeable saying the listening to ‘couldn’t have gone worse’.
Choose Kaplan appeared largely dismissive of the arguments of Mr Brettler.
He stated that a part of the 2009 settlement defending ‘different potential defendants’ that Andrew’s attorneys had seemed to be leaning on was ‘unclear’ and pointed to 2 sentences within the textual content that appeared to recommend it couldn’t be utilized by Andrew.
Representatives of Prince Andrew have been contacted for a press release.