Prince Andrew to face interview as part of civil sex assault case under oath in London
Prince Andrew is due to give evidence under oath next month as part of the civil sex assault case against him.
The Duke of York will face what is known as a deposition on March 10 in London, in what has been described as a neutral location.
A source close to the royal said his accuser Virginia Giuffre had not yet committed to a date or location for her deposition “despite repeated requests”.
The news of Andrew’s deposition date, first reported by the Telegraph, comes on the eve of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
On Sunday, the monarch will become the first British sovereign to reach a historic 70 years on the throne.
Andrew’s deposition will be conducted by Ms Giuffre’s lawyers, David Boies and Sigrid McCawley, and is expected to last two days, according to the Telegraph.
Mr Boies has previously said his client and legal team were anticipating “confronting” Andrew about his “denials and attempts to blame Ms Giuffre for her own abuse at his deposition and at trial”.
The renowned lawyer was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world by Time Magazine in 2010.
Ms Giuffre is suing the duke for damages in her home country of the US.
She claims she was trafficked by Jefrrey Epstein, who was friends with Andrew at the time, to have sex with the Duke when she was aged 17 - a minor under US law.
The duke is also alleged to have sexually abused Ms Giuffre during a visit to Epstein’s private island, Little St James, and on a separate occasion at the financier’s Manhattan mansion.
Andrew has strenuously denied all allegations.
A source close to him said: “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 Telegraph reported that those due to give depositions after Andrew include the royal’s former assistant, Robert Olney, and Shukri Walker, who claims to have seen Andrew in Tramp nightclub.
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Last month, court documents revealed that US Judge Lewis A Kaplan had written letters to the Senior Master of the Queen’s Bench Division in the UK to request assistance in acquiring evidence for the civil claim filed by Ms Giuffre.
The judge asked for Mr Olney to be quizzed on topics such as Andrew’s communications with Maxwell, Epstein and Ms Giuffre, and his travel to Epstein’s homes.
In a separate letter to the High Court, Judge Kaplan also requested testimony from Ms Walker, on questions about the alleged presence of the duke and Ms Giuffre at Tramp nightclub in March 2001 and any interactions the pair may have had.
The civil sex assault trial is scheduled to take place between September and December.
Andrew previously took the dramatic decision to face his accuser in court and become the first member of the modern royal family to submit to being cross-examined over serious allegations.The parties will need to confirm by July 28 whether they wish to proceed to trial.