LONDON (AP) Prince Andrew wasnt on trial in the Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking case, but her conviction is bad news for the man who is ninth in line to the British throne.

With the conclusion of the Maxwell case , attention will now turn to a U.S. civil suit in which the plaintiff alleges Maxwell and long-time boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein took her to London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands to have sex with Andrew when she was underage.

Andrew denies the allegations, but Wednesdays verdict shows that at least one American jury was willing to believe the young women trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell in a criminal case, where the standard of proof is higher than in civil cases.

To the extent theres overlap of evidence with respect to Prince Andrews case, it certainly doesnt bode well, said Bradley Simon, a former U.S. federal prosecutor who now works as a defense attorney in complex civil cases. But, as I said, every case hinges on its own specific facts and the judges will always instruct the jury on that.

Maxwell was convicted Wednesday of sex trafficking and conspiracy charges after a monthlong trial in New York.

While U.S. criminal cases must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, civil defendants can be ordered to pay financial damages if they are found responsible based on a preponderance of the evidence.

The verdict is problematic for Andrew because he has long been friends with Maxwell, daughter of the late rags-to-riches media tycoon Robert Maxwell. Even after Epstein was charged with sex crimes, Andrew failed to distance himself from her.

Those links have already diminished the princes standing.

Andrew was forced to give up his duties as a working member of the royal family after a disastrous 2019 interview with the BBC that only increased public concern about his ties to Epstein and Maxwell. The prince was widely criticized for his explanation of why he maintained contact with Epstein after the financier was accused of sexual misconduct and for failing to show empathy for Epsteins victims.

Although the Maxwell trial didnt offer any sensational new allegations about Andrew, it once again reminds people about the sordid allegations and weakens his standing with the public, said Chris Scott of Slateford, a London law firm that specializes in reputational issues.

It just adds credibility to the accounts of people, Scott told The Associated Press. You have a criminal court finding now in the U.S. supporting that there was the trafficking going on. In a sense, it becomes much harder for people to run the angle that this is all made up when you do have that credibility building up. So I think that that will be very problematic for him.

The civil suit against Andrew was filed last August by Virginia Giuffre, who says she was 17 when she was flown to London to have sex with Andrew at Maxwells house in Belgravia, an upscale neighborhood that is home to many foreign embassies and wealthy expatriates. Other encounters with Andrew occurred at Epsteins homes in Manhattan and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to her lawsuit.

Giuffre, who wasnt part of the criminal case, has described Maxwell as a Mary Poppins figure who made young girls feel comfortable as they were lured into Epsteins web.