Meghan Markle to prioritise 'ego' over testifying in Prince Andrew trial, says royal aide

A former royal aide claimed that Meghan Markle would not want to get involved in Prince Andrew's sexual abuse case because it does not represent her brand.

The Duke of York is facing charges of "rape in the first degree" in a New York court by former Jeffrey Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre. Her attorney David Boies enumerated several reasons why the Duchess of Sussex could be called in to testify against the 61-year-old royal and one is because she and Prince Harry now live in Santa Barbara, California.

"One; She is in the US so we have jurisdiction over her. Two; she is somebody who obviously, at least for a period of time, was a close associate of Prince Andrew. Three, she is someone we can count on to tell the truth," Boies said last week.

However, Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell said getting testimony from Meghan Markle is unlikely going to happen. He does not believe that she "would go to court and get involved in Andrew's case, purely because of her ego and her brand."

"I don't think she'd want anything to do with this at all. She wouldn't touch it with a barge pole," he told Closer magazine.

Burrell claimed that if the Duchess of Sussex "were to testify, that truly would be it for her and Harry." He said it would only further strain their relationship with the British royals and drive them farther apart from the family.

If Meghan Markle agrees and testifies against Prince Andrew then "there would be no chance of a reconciliation and the rift would never be healed." The former royal aide shared his hope that she and Prince Harry "have it within them this year to leave the drama aside for the sake of the queen."

Burrell called it "heartbreaking" that Queen Elizabeth II and the rest of the royals would have to face another tumultuous year following the events in 2021. He claimed that aside from Prince Andrew's sexual abuse case, they must also brace themselves for more explosive revelations from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the months leading to the release of the duke's memoir.