Prince Andrew news - live: Duke breaks cover as Epstein victim lawyer says ‘nothing off limits’ in depositions

Prince Andrew has broken cover for the first time since a judge ruled Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit could proceed to trial.

The Duke of York, 61, was spotted leaving his home in Windsor Great Park in a Range Rover on Thursday afternoon.

Ms Giuffre is suing Andrew in a civil case in New York alleging she was forced to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein’s friends – including the Duke of York – when she was 17. Prince Andrew strongly denies the allegations against him.

The civil case will now move into a discovery phase where Andrew may have to sit for an interview under oath - known as a deposition.

A lawyer for some of Epstein’s victims told the Daily Mirror “nothing will be off limits” when Andrew is deposed.

Spencer Kuvin claimed the Duke could face questions about his sex life and intimate details about his body.

Meanwhile, Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boise last night said she is not interested in a “purely financial” settlement with the Duke, saying she is seeking to be “vindicated”.

Mr Boise added that he may call Meghan Markle, Prince Charles and Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson to testify.

Key Points

• Judge denies Prince Andrew’s bid for dismissal

• Prince Andrew case: Will he face trial over Virginia Giuffre’s claims of sex abuse?

• Virginia Giuffre is not interested in purely financial settlement with Prince Andrew, lawyer says

‘Nothing off limits’: Prince Andrew likely to face grilling during deposition

15:52 , Bevan Hurley

Judge Lewis Kaplan’s bombshell decision to allow Virginia Giuffre’s civil sexual assault lawsuit to move forward means Prince Andrew faces having to sit for an interview under oath.

The case now moves into a discovery phase where both Andrew and Ms Giuffre will likely be quizzed by opposing lawyers in what’s known as a deposition.

A lawyer for some of Epstein’s victims told the Daily Mirror “nothing will be off limits” when Prince Andrew is deposed.

Spencer Kuvin claimed the Duke could face questions about his sex life and intimate details about his body.

While Andrew will not have to travel to the United States for the deposition, he will be questioned “under penalty of perjury of US law”.

Meanwhile, Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boise last night said she is not interested in a “purely financial” settlement with the Duke, saying she is seeking to be “vindicated”.

Mr Boise added that he may call Meghan Markle, Prince Charles and Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson to testify.

Is 2022 going to be even worse for Queen and her favourite son than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?

15:30 , Bevan Hurley

“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.

Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead.

As it was, worse was to come for the royals and their public image following the death of Diana in a car crash in Paris in August 1997, an event to which the Queen was accused of responding coldly. Some were ready to write off the royal family.

Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queens’s favourite.”

Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent Voices here.

Is 2022 going to be worse for the Queen and Andrew than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?

Will Prince Andrew face trial over Virginia Giuffre’s claims of sex abuse?

15:00 , Bevan Hurley

A federal judge in New York threw out a request by Prince Andrew to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing him of having sex with a 17-year-old girl who was being sex-trafficked by late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, in a bombshell ruling that paves the way for the case to go to trial.

When will the trial begin?

Judge Kaplan has given a timeframe of between September and December 2022 for the trial to commence.

According to the judge’s scheduling order, both parties must disclose expert witnesses by 13 May and rebuttal witnesses one month later.

Discovery of evidence must be completed by 14 July and a joint pretrial proposal filed by 28 July, outlining whether the parties wish to proceed to a jury trial.

However, proceedings could be held up with delays. And Prince Andrew may seek to settle the case before it gets to trial.

Rachel Sharp explains what comes next.

Will Prince Andrew now face trial?

Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full

14:10 , Eleanor Sly

A judge has denied Prince Andrew’s bid to have Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against him dismissed and he will now face a civil case in the US over accusations of sexual assault.

US District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the argument of lawyers for the royal that he was absolved of liability due to a settlement reached between Ms Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago.

In his ruling, Judge Kaplan said the key phrase Andrew’s lawyers relied upon – that “other potential defendants” were covered by the settlement deal – was “far from self evident for a number of reasons”.

Liam James reports:

Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full

Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?

13:45 , Bevan Hurley

Meghan Markle could be called as a witness in Prince Andrew’s sexual assault lawsuit, according to Virginia Giuffre’s attorney.

David Boise told The Daily Beast last month that Ms Markle may have “important knowledge” of allegations that Andrew abused his Ms Giuffre three times when she was 17.

Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that Ms Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleging she suffered battery and intentional emotional damage could move forward. Andrew has strongly denied the claims against him.

Bevan Hurley has more:

Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?

Prince Andrew breaks cover leaving home in 4x4

13:05 , Eleanor Sly

Prince Andrew has been spotted on Thursday sitting in the back of his £80,000 Range Rover as it left his home in Windsor Great Park.

It is the first time he has been seen since a judge in the US ruled he should face trial in the civil sex abuse lawsuit.

Who is Prince Andrew and where is he in line to the throne?

12:10 , Eleanor Sly

The Duke of York, the Queen’s third eldest child, made headlines on Wednesday after a US court ruled that a civil case, which alleges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl, will move forward.

The royal is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who claims that she was a victim of sex trafficking by late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Part of her abuse allegedly involved being forced to have sex with powerful men, including Prince Andrew – a claim that he has denied.

Read more:

Where is Prince Andrew in line to the throne?

Virginia Giuffre shows solidarity with victims of human trafficking

11:42 , Eleanor Sly

Virginia Giuffre tweeted her solidarity with victims of human trafficking on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

She tweeted:

What did the judge say in the Wednesday court ruling?

10:39 , Eleanor Sly

On Wednesday a judge denied Prince Andrew’s attempt to have Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against him dismissed. As a result he will now face a civil case in the US over allegations of sexual assault.

But what exactly did the judge say?

In his ruling, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the argument that a settlement reached between Ms Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein more than ten years ago would absolve him of liability.

The judge said that the claim that Prince Andrew was one of the “other potential defendants” who were covered by the settlement deal between Epstein and Ms Giuffre’s – was “far from self evident for a number of reasons”.

He said: “[Andrew] argues that he ‘could have been included’ as a ‘potential defendant’ in the Florida case because Ms Giuffre made a general reference to ‘royalty’ in her Florida complaint, even though it did not name Prince Andrew as a defendant nor even mention his name.”

Read the court ruling in full here.

Prince Andrew case: Will he face trial over Virginia Giuffre’s claims of sex abuse?

09:17 , Eleanor Sly

A federal judge in New York threw out a request by Prince Andrew to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing him of having sex with an underage girl who was being sex-trafficked by late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, in a bombshell ruling that paves the way for the case to go to trial.

Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that the lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre can move forward to trial.

Ms Giuffre has accused the Prince Andrew of having sex with her when she was 17.

Rachel Sharp has more:

Will Prince Andrew now face trial?

Virginia Giuffre is not interested in purely financial settlement with Prince Andrew, lawyer says

07:45 , Eleanor Sly

Virginia Giuffre is not interested in a “purely financial settlement” in her lawsuit against Prince Andrew, her lawyer has said.

A US court has ruled that Ms Giuffre’s allegations of sexual assault against the royal can proceed to trial in a civil case after a failed attempt by Andrew’s lawyers to have the case dismissed.

As with any civil case the possibility of an out-of-court settlement looms but Ms Giuffre’s lawyer said there had been “no suggestion” that such a resolution would yet be discussed by the two parties.

Liam James reports:

Virginia Giuffre ‘not interested in purely financial settlement’ with Prince Andrew

The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women

04:00 , Bevan Hurley

“So Prince Andrew’s best chance of throwing out the civil case against him has gone, and he faces having to defend himself in court.

More broadly, it is a right platinum-plated mess. The homely and dignified preparations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee – 70 dutiful years on the throne, complete with special new pudding – have been gatecrashed by a sex case. Bit of a party pooper. Even if he never has to turn up in a courtroom, there are no good options for him – or the institution he is inextricably tied to.

The procedural wrangles are gone, the technicalities have been brushed aside. Judge Kaplan has judged there is a case to answer, has rejected the prince’s lawyers’ interpretation of the 2009 settlement agreement Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, and things look bleak for the Duke of York.”

Read Sean O’Grady’s piece for The Independent Voices here.

The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women | Sean O’Grady

Prince Andrew: Is 2022 going to be even worse for Queen and her favourite son than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?

03:30 , Bevan Hurley

“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.

Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead.

As it was, worse was to come for the royals and their public image following the death of Diana in a car crash in Paris in August 1997, an event to which the Queen was accused of responding coldly. Some were ready to write off the royal family.

Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queens’s favourite.”

Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent Voices here.

Is 2022 going to be worse for the Queen and Andrew than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?

Who is Virginia Giuffre and what are her allegations against Prince Andrew?

03:00 , Bevan Hurley

Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, first met now-convicted Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000 at the age of 17, when she was working as a spa assistant in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, where Ms Giuffre’s father also worked as a maintenance manager.

Maxwell approached her and asked if she was interested in being a masseuse for Epstein. According to Ms Giuffre, both Epstein and Maxwell began grooming her.

Ms Giuffre was allegedly trafficked to then 41-year-old Prince Andrew in 2001. The Duke is accused of having sex with Ms Giuffre (then known by her maiden name, Virginia Roberts) on three occasions; a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17 for which she was paid $15,000, and later in New York and on Little Saint James, a small private island in the US Virgin Islands.

Read Megan Sheets’ full report here.

What are the allegations in Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew?

Jeffrey Epstein’s island: What really happened there?

02:30 , Bevan Hurley

The guests came from across the world, and from the highest ranks of society: celebrities and scientists and royals including Prince Andrew, touching down in a private jet and then boarding a helicopter to the island.

Its owner liked to call it “Little St Jeff”; locals called it “paedophile island”.

But what is the truth about Little St James, the 75-acre private paradise in the US Virgin Islands that billionaire sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein once called home?

The island is now at the centre of a web of lawsuits and criminal investigations seeking to untangle Epstein’s life.

Read Io Dodds’ full report.

Epstein’s island: What really happened there?

Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?

02:00 , Bevan Hurley

Meghan Markle could be called as a witness in Prince Andrew’s sexual assault lawsuit, according to Virginia Giuffre’s attorney.

David Boise told The Daily Beast last month that Ms Markle may have “important knowledge” of allegations that Andrew abused his Ms Giuffre three times when she was 17.

Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that Ms Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleging she suffered battery and intentional emotional damage could move forward. Andrew has strongly denied the claims against him.

Read the full story here.

Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?

Judge’s ruling hailed as an important step in ‘Virginia‘s heroic and determined pursuit of justice’

01:30 , Bevan Hurley

Sigrid McCawley, Virginia Giuffre’s attorney, has welcomed a decision by New York judge Lewis Kaplan to allow her civil sexual assault case against Prince Andrew to proceed to trial.

“Today’s decision by Judge Kaplan denying Prince Andrew’s effort to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s case against him is another important step in Virginia‘s heroic and determined pursuit of justice as a survivor of sex trafficking,” Ms McCawley said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Earlier, Ms Giuffre’s co-counsel David Boise said his client was “pleased” with the judge’s ruling and “looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims”.

Buckingham Palace responds as royal loses bid to block Virginia Giuffre sex abuse lawsuit

01:00 , Bevan Hurley

Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on a judge’s ruling to allow Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed.

Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Andrew’s bid to have Ms Giuffre’s civil case thrown out in a judgment issued on Wednesday.

A Palace spokesperson told The Independent: “We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter.’’

Prince Andrew’s spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment on the decision.

Read the full story here.

Palace refuses to comment as Prince Andrew loses bid to block sex abuse lawsuit

Prince Andrew: Is 2022 going to be even worse for Queen and her favourite son than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?

00:45 , Bevan Hurley

“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.

Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead.

As it was, worse was to come for the royals and their public image following the death of Diana in a car crash in Paris in August 1997, an event to which the Queen was accused of responding coldly. Some were ready to write off the royal family.

Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queens’s favourite.”

Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent Voices here.

Is 2022 going to be worse for the Queen and Andrew than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?

Who is Prince Andrew and where is he in line to the throne?

00:30 , Bevan Hurley

The Duke of York, the Queen’s third eldest child, made headlines on Wednesday after a US court ruled that a civil case, which alleges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl, will move forward.

The royal is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who claims that she was a victim of sex trafficking by late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward is the Queen and the late Prince Philip’s third child. At the time of his birth on 19 February 1960, he was second in line to the throne behind his older brother, Prince Charles.

As it currently stands, the royal is now ninth in the order of succession, moving down from eight place following the birth of the Duke of Sussex’s second child, Lilibet, on 4 June 2021.

Read the full story here.

Where is Prince Andrew in line to the throne?

Will Prince Andrew have to go to the US to testify in Virginia Giuffre lawsuit?

00:00 , Bevan Hurley

Prince Andrew faces a trial in New York over allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was underage after a US judge ruled her civil lawsuit can proceed to trial.

Judge Lewis Kaplan’s ruling paves the way for Ms Giuffre’s lawyers to enter into a protracted discovery and deposition phase of the trial that will require evidence from Andrew.

The judge has set a deadline for depositions to be completed by 14 July. This means that out-of-court testimony to be used in the trial must be presented before then.

Both Andrew and his accuser Virginia Giuffre are expected to answer questions under oath.

Depositions can be conducted in foreign countries under US law using internationally agreed procedures, so Andrew could remain in the UK for this phase of the trial.

He would also get to stay put if the case were settled out of court before the trial took place.

Read Liam James’ full story for The Independent here.

Will Prince Andrew have to go to the US to testify in Virginia Giuffre lawsuit?

Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling to allow sex abuse suit against Prince Andrew to go to trial

Wednesday 12 January 2022 23:30 , Bevan Hurley

Virginia Giuffre said she is “pleased” that a federal judge in New York rejected the royal’s motion to toss the lawsuit on Wednesday, moving one step closer to the possibility that the prince will be called to testify in US court.

“Virginia Giuffre is, of course, pleased that Prince Andrew’s motion to dismiss has been denied, and that evidence will now be taken concerning her claims against him,” Ms Giuffre’s attorney David Boise said in a statement.

“She looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims.”

Read Rachel Sharp’s story for The Independent here.

Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling in Prince Andrew sex abuse suit

Read the Prince Andrew-Virginia Giuffre court ruling in full

Wednesday 12 January 2022 23:00 , Bevan Hurley

Judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew can proceed in a decision released on Wednesday.

He dismissed Andrew’s legal arguments that a 2009 settlement deal between Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Giuffre could shield the royal from liability.

Judge Kaplan was equally scathing of other arguments made by Andrew’s attorney Andrew Brettler, including that Ms Giuffre’s claims were too vague, and should have fallen outside of statue of limitations.

Read Judge Kaplan’s full decision here.

Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full

The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women

Wednesday 12 January 2022 22:30 , Bevan Hurley

“So Prince Andrew’s best chance of throwing out the civil case against him has gone, and he faces having to defend himself in court.

More broadly, it is a right platinum-plated mess. The homely and dignified preparations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee – 70 dutiful years on the throne, complete with special new pudding – have been gatecrashed by a sex case. Bit of a party pooper. Even if he never has to turn up in a courtroom, there are no good options for him – or the institution he is inextricably tied to.

The procedural wrangles are gone, the technicalities have been brushed aside. Judge Kaplan has judged there is a case to answer, has rejected the prince’s lawyers’ interpretation of the 2009 settlement agreement Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, and things look bleak for the Duke of York.”

Read Sean O’Grady’s piece for The Independent Voices here.

The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women | Sean O’Grady

Prince Andrew: Is 2022 going to be even worse for Queen and her favourite son than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?

Wednesday 12 January 2022 22:15 , Bevan Hurley

“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.

Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead.

Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queens’s favourite.”

Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent Voices here.

Is 2022 going to be worse for the Queen and Andrew than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?

Read the Prince Andrew-Virginia Giuffre court ruling in full

Wednesday 12 January 2022 22:00 , Bevan Hurley

Judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew can proceed in a decision released on Wednesday.

He dismissed Andrew’s legal arguments that a 2009 settlement deal between Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Giuffre could shield the royal from liability.

Judge Kaplan was equally scathing of other arguments made by Andrew’s attorney Andrew Brettler, including that Ms Giuffre’s claims were too vague, and should have fallen outside of statue of limitations.

Read Judge Kaplan’s full decision here.

Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full

Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?

Wednesday 12 January 2022 21:30 , Bevan Hurley

Meghan Markle could be called as a witness in Prince Andrew’s sexual assault lawsuit, according to Virginia Giuffre’s attorney.

David Boise told The Daily Beast last month that Ms Markle may have “important knowledge” of allegations that Andrew abused his Ms Giuffre three times when she was 17.

Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that Ms Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleging she suffered battery and intentional emotional damage could move forward. Andrew has strongly denied the claims against him.

Read the full story here.

Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?

Jeffrey Epstein’s island: What really happened there?

Wednesday 12 January 2022 21:00 , Bevan Hurley

The guests came from across the world, and from the highest ranks of society: celebrities and scientists and royals including Prince Andrew, touching down in a private jet and then boarding a helicopter to the island.

Its owner liked to call it “Little St Jeff”; locals called it “paedophile island”.

But what is the truth about Little St James, the 75-acre private paradise in the US Virgin Islands that billionaire sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein once called home?

The island is now at the centre of a web of lawsuits and criminal investigations seeking to untangle Epstein’s life.

Read Io Dodds’ full report.

Epstein’s island: What really happened there?

Judge’s ruling hailed as an important step in ‘Virginia‘s heroic and determined pursuit of justice’

Wednesday 12 January 2022 20:53 , Bevan Hurley

Sigrid McCawley, Virginia Giuffre’s attorney, has welcomed a decision by New York judge Lewis Kaplan to allow her civil sexual assault case against Prince Andrew to proceed to trial.

“Today’s decision by Judge Kaplan denying Prince Andrew’s effort to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s case against him is another important step in Virginia‘s heroic and determined pursuit of justice as a survivor of sex trafficking,” Ms McCawley said in a statement released on Wednesday.

Earlier, Ms Giuffre’s co-counsel David Boise said his client was “pleased” with the judge’s ruling and “looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims”.

Buckingham Palace responds as royal loses bid to block Virginia Giuffre sex abuse lawsuit

Wednesday 12 January 2022 20:30 , Bevan Hurley

Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on a judge’s ruling to allow Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed.

Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Andrew’s bid to have Ms Giuffre’s civil case thrown out in a judgment issued on Wednesday.

A Palace spokesperson told The Independent: “We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter.’’

Prince Andrew’s spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment on the decision.

Read the full story here.

Palace refuses to comment as Prince Andrew loses bid to block sex abuse lawsuit

Who is Virginia Giuffre and what are her allegations against Prince Andrew?

Wednesday 12 January 2022 20:00 , Bevan Hurley

Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, first met now-convicted Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000 at the age of 17, when she was working as a spa assistant in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, where Ms Giuffre’s father also worked as a maintenance manager.

Maxwell approached her and asked if she was interested in being a masseuse for Epstein. According to Ms Giuffre, both Epstein and Maxwell began grooming her.

Ms Giuffre was allegedly trafficked to then 41-year-old Prince Andrew in 2001. The Duke is accused of having sex with Ms Giuffre (then known by her maiden name, Virginia Roberts) on three occasions; a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17 for which she was paid $15,000, and later in New York and on Little Saint James, a small private island in the US Virgin Islands.

Read Megan Sheets’ full report here.

What are the allegations in Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew?

Read the Prince Andrew-Virginia Giuffre court ruling in full

Wednesday 12 January 2022 19:40 , Bevan Hurley

Judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew can proceed in a decision released on Wednesday.

He dismissed Andrew’s legal arguments that a 2009 settlement deal between Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Giuffre could shield the royal from liability.

Judge Kaplan was equally scathing of other arguments made by Andrew’s attorney Andrew Brettler, including that Ms Giuffre’s claims were too vague, and should have fallen outside of statue of limitations.

Read Judge Kaplan’s full decision here.

Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full

Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling to allow sex abuse suit against Prince Andrew to go to trial

Wednesday 12 January 2022 19:20 , Bevan Hurley

Virginia Giuffre said she is “pleased” that a federal judge in New York rejected the royal’s motion to toss the lawsuit on Wednesday, moving one step closer to the possibility that the prince will be called to testify in US court.

“Virginia Giuffre is, of course, pleased that Prince Andrew’s motion to dismiss has been denied, and that evidence will now be taken concerning her claims against him,” Ms Giuffre’s attorney David Boise said in a statement.

“She looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims.”

Read Rachel Sharp’s story for The Independent here.

Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling in Prince Andrew sex abuse suit

Will Prince Andrew have to go to the US to testify in Virginia Giuffre lawsuit?

Wednesday 12 January 2022 18:50 , Bevan Hurley

Prince Andrew faces a trial in New York over allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was underage after a US judge ruled her civil lawsuit can proceed to trial.

Judge Lewis Kaplan’s ruling paves the way for Ms Giuffre’s lawyers to enter into a protracted discovery and deposition phase of the trial that will require evidence from Andrew.

The judge has set a deadline for depositions to be completed by 14 July. This means that out-of-court testimony to be used in the trial must be presented before then.

Both Andrew and his accuser Virginia Giuffre are expected to answer questions under oath.

Depositions can be conducted in foreign countries under US law using internationally agreed procedures, so Andrew could remain in the UK for this phase of the trial.

He would also get to stay put if the case were settled out of court before the trial took place.

Read Liam James’ full story for The Independent here.

Will Prince Andrew have to go to the US to testify in Virginia Giuffre lawsuit?

Who is Prince Andrew and where is he in line to the throne?

Wednesday 12 January 2022 18:30 , Bevan Hurley

The Duke of York, the Queen’s third eldest child, made headlines on Wednesday after a US court ruled that a civil case, which alleges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl, will move forward.

The royal is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who claims that she was a victim of sex trafficking by late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward is the Queen and the late Prince Philip’s third child. At the time of his birth on 19 February 1960, he was second in line to the throne behind his older brother, Prince Charles.

As it currently stands, the royal is now ninth in the order of succession, moving down from eight place following the birth of the Duke of Sussex’s second child, Lilibet, on 4 June 2021.

Read the full story here.

Where is Prince Andrew in line to the throne?

The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women

Wednesday 12 January 2022 18:10 , Bevan Hurley

So Prince Andrew’s best chance of throwing out the civil case against him has gone, and he faces having to defend himself in court.

More broadly, it is a right platinum-plated mess. The homely and dignified preparations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee – 70 dutiful years on the throne, complete with special new pudding – have been gatecrashed by a sex case. Bit of a party pooper. Even if he never has to turn up in a courtroom, there are no good options for him – or the institution he is inextricably tied to.

The procedural wrangles are gone, the technicalities have been brushed aside. Judge Kaplan has judged there is a case to answer, has rejected the prince’s lawyers’ interpretation of the 2009 settlement agreement Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, and things look bleak for the Duke of York.

Read Sean O’Grady’s piece for The Independent Voices here.

The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women | Sean O’Grady

Prince Andrew could face sexual assault civil trial in September

Wednesday 12 January 2022 18:00 , Bevan Hurley

Judge Lewis Kaplan has dismissed a motion by Prince Andrew to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing him of having sex with Virginia Giuffre when she was 17 years old.

Andrew ow faces a lengthy discovery phase in which he may have to turn over his private communications and sit for a deposition under oath.

Both parties must disclose expert witnesses by 13 May and rebuttal witnesses one month later.

Discovery of evidence must be completed by 14 July and a joint pretrial proposal filed by 28 July, outlining whether the parties wish to proceed to a jury trial.

Judge Kaplan has given a timeframe of between September and October for the trial to commence.

Read Rachel Sharp’s full story on what comes next for Prince Andrew.

Virginia Guiffre sex-abuse lawsuit ruling: Will Prince Andrew now face trial?

Virginia Giuffre sexual abuse case can move ahead to trial, judge rules

Wednesday 12 January 2022 17:45 , Bevan Hurley

Prince Andrew will have to answer accusations that he sexually abused Virginia Roberts Giuffre aged 17 after a judge denied his attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed.

The decision on Wednesday by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan paves the way for Ms Giuffre’s lawyers to enter into a protracted discovery and deposition phase that could draw in other members of the royal family.

Read The Independent’s full report here.

Sexual abuse case against Prince Andrew can move ahead to trial, judge rules

Buckingham Palace responds as royal loses bid to block Virginia Giuffre sex abuse lawsuit

Wednesday 12 January 2022 17:30 , Bevan Hurley

Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on a judge’s ruling to allow Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed.

Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Andrew’s bid to have Ms Giuffre’s civil case thrown out in a judgment issued on Wednesday.

A Palace spokesperson told The Independent: “We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter.’’

Prince Andrew’s spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment on the decision.

Read the full story here.

Palace refuses to comment as Prince Andrew loses bid to block sex abuse lawsuit

What were Prince Andrew’s ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein?

Wednesday 12 January 2022 17:20 , Bevan Hurley

Prince Andrew’s presence in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial was most keenly felt in a photograph he didn’t appear in.

Government exhibit GX-347 showed a picture of Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein on a porch bench in the grounds of the Queen’s Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands.

The photo was taken on a trip the pair took to the royal manor in 1999 as the guest of Prince Andrew.

It was among 19 images released to the jury of Epstein and Maxwell in exotic locations appearing to be very much in love that were found on CDs taken from a 2019 FBI raid on Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse.

Maxwell, 60, was found guilty of five of the six federal charges against her in late December, including sex trafficking and transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.

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