LONDON: Britain’s Prince Andrew will give evidence next month in the sex abuse lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, a source close to the prince said on Saturday.
The Duke of York, who denies accusations that he sexually abused Giuffre two decades ago when she was 17, will speak under oath in London, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.
“We agreed to voluntarily produce the Duke for a deposition on March 10. Despite repeated requests, Ms. Giuffre still hasn’t committed to a date or location for her deposition,” the source told Reuters.
Giuffre, 38, sued Andrew last August, alleging he battered her while the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was trafficking her.
In a filing with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Andrew, 61, admitted meeting Epstein in or around 1999, but denied Giuffre’s allegation that he “committed sexual assault and battery” upon her.
Andrew’s ties to Epstein, who killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex abuse charges, have undermined his reputation with the public and standing in Britain’s Royal Family.
Last month, the family removed Andrew’s military links and military patronages, and said the second son of Queen Elizabeth would no longer be known as “His Royal Highness”.
The prince’s lawyers previously called Giuffre’s lawsuit “baseless” and accused her of seeking another payday.
Giuffre received $500,000 in a 2009 civil settlement with Epstein.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan has said a trial could begin between September and December 2022.
If Giuffre won at trial, Andrew could owe her damages. She has asked for an unspecified amount.
Andrew has not been criminally charged, and no criminal charges can be brought in Giuffre’s civil lawsuit.
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