Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of grooming teenagers for sexual abuse in Jeffrey Epstein liaison case. The guilty verdict comes as Prince Andrew‘s attorneys prepare to defend him in the same court in Manhattan, New York, against a damages claim made by one of Epstein’s victims.

Also read: British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell convicted in Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse case

The most obvious and crucial point to remember about Maxwell’s conviction is that it only pertains to her actions. There was no one else on trial. In the United States, the Duke of York is not facing criminal charges. Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims, is suing him.

In fact, there was no proof shown at the trial that Prince Andrew was ever involved in any crime.

Results of Maxwell’s conviction

Prince Andrew told Newsnight in a 2019 BBC interview that his friendship with Epstein sprang from his lengthy association with Ghislaine Maxwell.

Also read: Who is Ghislaine Maxwell?

He said that he and Epstein met for the first time in 1999, and that his friendship with Maxwell was the only reason he met the pedophile billionaire in the first place. Throughout the trial, however, Maxwell’s accusers portrayed her as a woman who was important to Epstein’s efforts to perpetrate abuse, rather than an unsuspecting accomplice.

If Maxwell had been found not guilty, Virginia Giuffre’s charges would have been thrown out the window, because she claimed in court filings that the British socialite “spent years overseeing and managing Epstein’s sex trafficking network, and actively recruited underage girls, including [herself].”

Also read: Ghislaine Maxwell relationship with Jeffrey Epstein: How did they meet?

As a result of the conviction, Giuffre’s lawyers can now go into her case against him and claim that Maxwell was involved in Epstein’s abuse beyond a reasonable doubt. The royal’s friendship with Maxwell is now just as significant as his relationship with Epstein in determining the outcome of the damages action.

The undeniable connection to Epstein

Epstein was close enough to the Duke to attend his 40th birthday party and have his contact information, according to Giuffre’s court pleadings. None of this has been disproved by the Maxwell case.

Prosecutors used new photos of Maxwell and Epstein during the trial to emphasise how close they were. In another snap, the couple may be seen in Balmoral, the Queen’s secret Scottish estate.

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The photograph is believed to have been taken in 1999, when Prince Andrew reportedly invited the couple to stay at his estate.

The prosecutors for Maxwell presented evidence of Epstein’s actions at Maxwell’s London house, where Giuffre claims she was later trafficked to Prince Andrew, according to Giuffre. The prince firmly refutes this notion.

The evidence presented to the jury had nothing to do with that specific claim.

‘Kate’s claims

Maxwell befriended “Kate” in 1994, according to the witness, and invited her to tea at her Belgravia home. According to her, Maxwell then manipulated her into having a sexual contact with Epstein there. Kate was also flown to the financier’s home in Florida, where Maxwell allegedly gave her a schoolgirl’s outfit to wear.

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Her testimony was clearly part of prosecutors’ attempt to show how Maxwell identified women to meet Epstein’s demands.

However, because Kate was over the age of consent in the UK, the court determined that the jury could not consider her story as proof of a crime committed by Maxwell, and her lawyers successfully disputed the account’s inclusion in the trial.

More crucially for the Duke, Kate’s story refuted any claims that Maxwell trafficked young women for the benefit of Epstein’s cronies.

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While the photograph of the Duke with Roberts, as she was at the time, at Maxwell’s home has gone viral, he was only mentioned in passing in Kate’s London-related testimony: the court heard how Maxwell would name-drop him and other wealthy and famous people she knew.

Prince Andrew told Newsnight that he had previously visited Maxwell’s Belgravia residence, but that he had no recall of seeing Giuffre or having his portrait taken. Given that there was no evidence linking Prince Andrew to abuse in London at Maxwell’s trial, one of Giuffre’s most explosive charges remained unsubstantiated.

The ‘Lolita Express’

Epstein’s long-time pilot, Larry Visoski, said in court that he had flown Prince Andrew and other celebrities to luxurious locales. The Duke of York has already admitted to being on that plane on Newsnight.

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The ‘Lolita Express,’ according to Epstein’s accusations, was a means of moving about both his confidantes and the girls nurtured under his grasp. If the damages action goes through, the flight logs could be crucial evidence for either side, depending on what they disclose about who was flown where, when, and why.

Scotland Yard’s division

After reviewing evidence from US civil courts and the media, the Metropolitan Police have decided not to pursue criminal charges against Jeffrey Epstein in the United Kingdom.

It has never revealed whether it has investigated Giuffre’s allegations against Prince Andrew, in keeping with its strict policy of only verifying the identities of those who appear in its work on rare occasions.

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The question is whether it will be forced to reconsider its position in light of Maxwell’s criminal conviction in a case involving events in London.

Given that Kate’s London-related evidence did not cover a crime and was limited to the deceased financier and Maxwell, the London police authority is unlikely to change its stance.