Stuff Digital Edition

Andrew’s family could face grilling

PRINCE Andrew is expected to learn soon whether his daughters and former wife will face questioning from Virginia Giuffre’s lawyers.

The Duke of York’s legal team will discover which members of his family will be asked to give evidence under oath, an American legal process known as deposition.

David Boies, Giuffre’s lawyer, has already suggested that he could question Sarah, Duchess of York, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

They are likely to be asked about Andrew’s alibi for the night in 2001 that Giuffre says she first had sex with him at the London home of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

In his BBC Newsnight interview in 2019, Andrew said he was with his daughters that day, because he remembered taking Beatrice to a party at a Pizza Express in Woking, Surrey.

Andrew was this week stripped of his military titles and patronages and will stop using His Royal Highness in any official capacity.

Giuffre, formerly Virginia Roberts, is suing Andrew in the US for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager. She claims that she was trafficked by Epstein to have sex with the duke when she was 17, allegations Andrew denies.

A New York judge this week dismissed Andrew’s attempt to have the case thrown out.

Boies has said Giuffre is determined to take the case to a trial before a jury in New York later this year, with depositions possibly taken mid-year.

Andrew, left, could avoid being interviewed under oath by simply ignoring the deposition request. However, this risks the judge ruling against him in his absence, branding him a sex abuser and ordering him to pay compensation.

Andrew could also avoid a trial by striking an out-ofcourt settlement with Giuffre, likely to be worth millions of pounds.

The prince’s legal team has made it clear that he intends to fight the claims. It leaves him with mounting questions over how to fund an estimated legal bill of between £5 million and £6m (NZ$10m and $12m).

Prince Charles, who is said to have been heavily involved in discussions about Andrew’s future role in the royal family, yesterday brushed off a question about his younger brother when asked by a reporter.

Politicians in York have begun a campaign for Andrew to give up his dukedom. Rachael Maskell, the Labour MP for York Central, tweeted: ‘‘It’s untenable for the Duke of York to cling onto his title another day longer.’’

WORLD

en-nz

2022-01-16T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-01-16T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/281814287228330

Stuff Limited