Maxwell verdict puts fresh pressure on Prince Andrew

LONDON: The conviction of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell for sex trafficking is a further blow for her embattled royal former friend Prince Andrew, British media said on Thursday.

The Duke of York, the second son of Elizabeth II and ninth in line to the throne, has long-standing ties to Maxwell, who has been found guilty of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by the late American financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew has denied sexually assaulting one of Epstein’s alleged victims, who is suing him in the US. Virginia Giuffre has launched a civil claim suing Andrew for unspecified damages, alleging he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, a minor under US law. She claims she was lent out by Epstein to his powerful associates and forced to have sex with Andrew three times -- the first time at Maxwell’s London home.