2/5/2022- 11:51 a.m.
Prince Andrew faces a confrontation with the lawyers of his sex accuser Virginia Roberts during a statement for their high-profile New York trial.
The Duke of York will meet on March 10 with lawyers representing Ms Roberts in London, where he will testify under oath close to the royal family, sources say.
“We have agreed to voluntarily nominate the duke for a statement on March 10,” a source close to the duke said on Saturday.
The Duke said he is “missing enough information to admit or deny” whether a famous photo of him with his arm around her waist in March 2001 “exists”.
Known as the greatest deposition taker in America, Mr. Boies has secured or won nine settlements in excess of $1 billion for clients.
He represented presidential candidate Al Gore after the controversial 2000 election and helped change the law in California to allow gay people to marry.
Andrew’s statement must be made before a July 14 deadline set by the judge. If the case goes to trial, Mr Boies said he “don’t think we” need Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah, the Duchess of York, or his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, to testify.
Last month, Prince Andrew made 41 denials related to Roberts’ case and dismissed all allegations of wrongdoing.
The royal said he “misses enough information to admit or deny” whether a famous photograph of him with his arm around her waist “exists” in March 2001.
In his official response, he stated 40 more times that he “misses enough information to admit or deny other claims.” He also called for a jury trial.
David Boies, 80, one of America’s most renowned lawyers, suggested yesterday that Andrew will find the experience of being questioned under oath “a little uncomfortable” – but raised the possibility a financial deal could be struck
Giuffre, now 38, claims she had sex with the prince when she was 17 and was a minor under U.S. law after meeting him through the late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide two years ago in prison while awaiting a bailout. trial for sex crimes.
She alleges that Andrew sexually assaulted her in March 2001, at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is imprisoned in the US for recruiting young girls to be sexually assaulted by Epstein.
The 61-year-old has been a virtual recluse since trying to give his side of the story in a 2019 BBC interview, widely seen as a PR disaster.
He has closed social media accounts and been stripped of military honors and charitable positions.
Giuffre’s attorney Boies said in late January: “We look forward to confronting Prince Andrew about his denials and attempts to blame Ms. Giuffre for her own abuse during his testimony and trial.”
