Prince Andrew could face court as early as next year over allegations of sexual abuse made by Virginia Giuffre, a judge has said.
US district judge Lewis Kaplan revealed in a phone conversation with New York lawyers that the case against the royal may go to trail “somewhere in the September to December period of next year”.
On the call with Judge Kaplan, both Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies and Andrew’s lawyer Andrew Brettler said they were likely to call eight to 12 witnesses for the trial.
Prince Andrew could face court next year over allegations of sexual abuse.
(Getty)Prince Andrew, 61, has “absolutely and categorically” denied having sex with Giuffre on several occasions.
However, he may have to face the 38-year-old in US court next year after she filed a civil suit against him in New York earlier this year.
If the trial goes ahead in late 2022, as Judge Kaplan has suggested, it will be almost three years after Andrew stepped down from his royal duties over the allegations and ensuing scandal.
He bowed out of public duties in November 2019, following an infamous appearance on BBC’s Newsnight program.
During the TV interview, he discussed the allegations against him and his former friendship with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Andrew also claimed that he had “no recollection” of Ms Giuffre, despite a photograph appearing to show them together with Epstein’s former partner, Ghislaine Maxwell.
The interview caused massive fallout across the UK and abroad, forcing Andrew to step down, though the controversy didn’t end.
Ms Giuffre formally filed her lawsuit against the royal in the US this August, accusing him of sexually abusing her while she was underage – claims Andrew continues to deny.
Ms Giuffre says that Epstein and Maxwell, who were friends with Andrew, trafficked her and that she was forced to have sex with the prince on three occasions between 1999 and 2002.
“I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me,” Giuffre said, via her lawyers, in a statement to ABC in August.
“The powerful and the rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions.”
Prince Andrew vehemently denies all of Ms Giuffre’s allegations and his lawyers initially attempted to prevent service of the suit.
Ms Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Andrew in the US this August.
(Getty)Over the weekend, his legal team rejected Ms Giuffre’s claims that Andrew sexually abused her and accused her of seeking a “payday” from the royal.
Filings from Andrew’s lawyers also contain references from individuals and newspapers to her being a “money hungry sex kitten” and recruiting other girls for Epstein.
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