A US judge has ruled that the Duke of York has until the middle of July 2022 to answer questions under oath in a civil sexual assault case filed by Virginia Giuffre.
Formal requests for Prince Andrew to give evidence must be completed by 14 July – a decision made by district judge Lewis Kaplan who serves in the Southern District of New York. The schedule has been agreed upon by both the Duke and Ms Giuffre’s lawyers. With The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations planned for next June, the court case could set up a potential legal clash for the Duke next summer. As is being reported by the British media, the case could see the Duke being absent from the official jubilee celebrations so as not to distract the media and public.
Ms Giuffre claims that Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her when she was 17 years old. In the lawsuit filed earlier this year, she accuses the Duke of intentional infliction of emotional distress and battery. She also claims she was forced, under Jeffrey Epstein’s orders, to have sexual interactions with the Duke.
The Duke has always vehemently denied the allegations made by Ms Giuffre, with his lawyers describing the claims as “baseless.”
Following Epstein’s death in 2019, Prince Andrew sat down for an interview with BBC Newsnight to discuss his former friendship with the convicted sex offender. In the interview, Andrew denied further the allegations made by Ms Giuffre, saying: “I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady.”
Virginia Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages from the 61-year-old royal. In the scheduling order, signed by lawyers for both parties, the judge ruled a pretrial order is due by 28 July 2022. No additional parties are allowed to join the case after 15 December.
