Prince Andrew in ‘difficult situation’, says royal correspondent-.mp4
Prince Andrew’s legal team face further pressure after a victim of Jeffrey Epstein claimed last night that Virginia Giuffre told her in 2001 that she had had sex with the Duke.
Carolyn Andriano, who testified in the trial of sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, has claimed in an interview with the Daily Mail that the then-17-year-old Ms Giuffre confided in her at the time of the incident.
Ms Andriano’s claims are the first contemporaneous report of the alleged sexual assault. Prince Andrew strongly denies any wrong doing and has previously said that he cannot remember meeting Ms Giuffre.
Prince Andrew’s representatives were contacted for comment.
Both Prince Andrew and Ms Giuffre’s legal teams are waiting on a decision from a New York judge about whether their civil case can go to trial.
The judge overseeing Prince Andrew’s bid to dismiss the lawsuit from Ms Giuffre promised to hand down a ruling “pretty soon” after a heated hearing on Tuesday. However no decision has yet been made.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Prince Andrew’s lawyers argued the 2009 agreement signed by Epstein and Ms Giuffre protects the Duke of York and should be grounds for dismissing her current suit against him.
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Witness says Giuffre told her about sex with Duke
Virginia Giuffre told a fellow victim of Jeffrey Epstein in 2001 that she had had sex with Prince Andrew, it was claimed last night.
Carolyn Andriano, who testified in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, told theDaily Mail that Ms Giuffre told her at the time that “I got to sleep with him”.
Prince Andrew’s representatives have been contacted for comment.
Read the full story here:
Holly Bancroft8 January 2022 15:35
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Queen could fund Virginia Giuffre pay out, Telegraph claims
The Queen could be asked to fund a settlement fee for Prince Andrew’s accuser Virginia Giuffre, The Telegraph has claimed.
The option of reaching a financial settlement has not been ruled out as Prince Andrew’s legal team faces the prospect of a trial.
The Telegraph alleges that the Queen has been funding Prince Andrew’s legal fees since last February. The Duke of York is also reportedly selling his Verbier ski chalet to fund the legal fight.
Holly Bancroft8 January 2022 15:16
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Prince Andrew awaits judge’s ruling on Giuffre civil case
Prince Andrew is still waiting for a ruling from a New York judge on whether the sexual assault civil case brought against him by Viriginia Giuffre will be thrown out of court.
Following Tuesday’s hearing, New York Southern District Judge Lewis Kaplan told lawyers that he would provide his ruling “pretty soon”, but no decision has yet been made.
The hearing this week considered whether a settlement agreement between Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Giuffre would offer Prince Andrew protection from further legal action.
If the judge rules in Ms Giuffre’s favour then a jury trial could go ahead later this year.
This could leave Prince Andrew in the difficult position of having to provide evidence in the trial.
Holly Bancroft8 January 2022 14:34
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What does all this mean for the royal family?
Sean O’Grady considers the ramifications of the ongoing civil case against Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, on the wider institution of the monarchy.
Oliver O’Connell8 January 2022 05:02
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Sarah Ferguson ‘part of the defence team’, report says
A senior royal source has revealed that Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, is a key member of his legal defence team, according to a report.
The New York Post quotes the source as saying: “No one from inside Buckingham Palace has been involved in Prince Andrew’s case, or even knows anything much.”
“It’s really just the Duke of York, Fergie, and his lawyers,” they add.
Another source said that Sarah, Duchess of York, who divorced from Prince Andrew in 1996, is so supportive of him that she has met with him and his legal team in strategy sessions.
She was reportedly with the Duke when he met with his lawyer Andrew Brettler in the summer of 2021.
The pair live together at Royal Lodge in Windsor Great Park, and the Duchess was seen in Verbier, Switzerland this past weekend with their daughters Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie and their respective husbands and children.
The Duke is currently selling his chalet at the Swiss ski resort, reportedly to cover legal costs.
Oliver O’Connell8 January 2022 04:01
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What happened in court this week?
Prince Andrew’s lawyers came under withering questioning from a judge deciding whether Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit should be allowed to proceed to trial.
Ms Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleges that she was forced to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein’s friends when she was 17, including the Duke of York.
Prince Andrew, 61, has strongly denied the allegations, and claims Ms Giuffre is after a “payday at his expense”.
Bevan Hurley reports on what happened in court this week.
Oliver O’Connell8 January 2022 03:04
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Who is Prince Andrew’s accuser and what are her allegations?
Megan Sheets profiles Virginia Giuffre, the woman who claims she was sex trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and is now mounting a civil lawsuit accusing Prince Andrew of sexual assault.
Oliver O’Connell8 January 2022 02:03
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What was Virginia Giuffre’s settlement agreement with Epstein
Details of a settlement between Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre that Prince Andrew’s lawyers believe will stop him facing a sex abuse lawsuit were made public on the eve of a pivotal court hearing in the case against the royal.
Oliver O’Connell8 January 2022 01:01
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Duke ‘rushing’ sale of Swiss chalet as legal bills mount, report says
Prince Andrew is reportedly attempting to rush through the sale of his £17m chalet in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier as the bills mount in his legal battle against Virginia Giuffre.
The Duke of York is waiting for a US judge to decide whether to dismiss Ms Giuffre’s civil case against him.
Oliver O’Connell8 January 2022 00:02
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Revisiting the ‘jaw-dropping’ Newsnight interview
BBC journalist Emily Maitlis has given a behind-the-scenes account of what she called a “jaw-dropping” interview she conducted with Prince Andrew in 2019.
Laurie Churchman reports.
Oliver O’Connell7 January 2022 23:05