Prince Andrew to testify under oath in sexual assault case

The prince andrew He will give a sworn statement in March in London before the lawyers of Virginia Giuffre, who accuses him of sexual assault, a source close to the daughter’s son told AFP on Saturday. Queen isabel II.

“We have agreed to voluntarily present the Duke of York for a statement on March 10,” the source said.

The second son of Queen Elizabeth II, 61, is facing a civil lawsuit in New York for sexual abuse committed against the American Virginia Giuffre when she was 17 years old.

The complainant, who is currently 38 years old, was the victim of the American financier Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in prison in 2019, and his accomplice, the British Ghislaine Maxwell, found guilty in December in New York of child sex trafficking.

Prince Andrew has always denied the accusations and asked to defend himself before a jury.

“Despite repeated requests, Mrs Giuffre has not yet committed to setting a date or venue for her statement,” the source close to the Duke of York said.

As reported by the Daily Telegraph on Saturday, the meeting with lawyers David Boies and Sigrid McCawley, who will travel from the United States, will take place for “about two days” in a “neutral” location in the British capital.

Lawyers will question two witnesses, according to the newspaper: Shukri Walker, a woman who claims to have seen Prince Andrew in a London nightclub with a young woman at the time of the alleged assault; and Robert Olney, a former assistant to the prince.

Giuffre’s lawyers did not directly respond to AFP requests for comment on Saturday.

In January, David Boies said in a statement to AFP that he was “looking forward to confronting Prince Andrew, his denials and his attempts to blame Mrs Giuffre in his statement and during a trial”.

The case has shaken the British monarchy as the 95-year-old queen prepares to celebrate the historic 70th anniversary of her reign on Sunday.

Andres retired from public life as a royal in 2019 following a widely ridiculed interview with the BBC, in which he tried to defend himself against accusations of sexually assaulting Giuffre.

In January, the Queen stripped him of his military titles and charitable patronage.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

IT MAY INTEREST YOU