The allegations of sexual impropriety levied against Prince Andrew are deeply troubling. According to Express UK, the hashtag #abolishthemonarchy trended on Twitter in the UK after further news about the lawsuit against the Duke of York and his response to the accuser's claims was made public.

Back in 2019, Virginia Giuffre sued the Duke of York for sexual abuse stemming from Andrew's reported relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in an incident that allegedly occurred in 2001 when she was a minor. Prince Andrew has denied the allegations. The royal court has publicly distanced itself from Prince Andrew and he has been permanently removed from his royal duties, but the queen is reportedly funding his court battles from a private account.

This week, attorneys representing Prince Andrew in the United States filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit before Prince Andrew could be deposed. A 38-page memo from his lawyers, which was made public, called Giuffre's claims "frivolous" and "frivolous" and accused her of trying to "get a payday at (Andrew's) expense." The document also claims that Giuffre signed an agreement with Epstein in 2009 that exempted Prince Andrew from being sued by her.

In response, Giuffre's attorney, David Boyes, accused the Duke of trying to bring in facts disputed in the motion to dismiss, rather than a case that can actually be proven or disproven. Boyes wrote, "Andrew's motion to dismiss does not attempt to confront any serious allegations."

The furor over the new document erupted on Twitter along with calls for the abolition of the monarchy:

Whether or not one agrees that the monarchy will continue in 2021, it is clear that these allegations against Prince Andreu are damaging the reputation of the entire royal family. Whether their attempts to distance themselves from him will be enough to stop the outrage remains to be seen.