Prince Andrew is set to give evidence next month in the civil sex assault case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre.
The Duke of York has repeatedly denied accusations that he sexually abused Giuffre when she was 17 years old and allegedly being trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, and has asked for a jury trial after losing a bid to have the case thrown out.
Ahead of the trial, Prince Andrew will face a deposition that is set to take place on March 10 at what has been described as a 'neutral location' in London.
The deposition is expected to last two days, during which time Andrew will offer sworn, out of court testimony. According to the Telegraph, it will be conducted by Giuffre's lawyers David Boies and Sigrid McCawley.
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Depositions are also set to be given by Andrew's former assistant, Robert Olney, and Shukri Walker, who claims to have seen the prince in Tramp nightclub, as well as Giuffre herself.
A source close to the prince confirmed the date of the deposition, saying: 'We agreed to voluntarily produce the duke for a deposition on 10 March.'
Giuffre, meanwhile, is said to have not yet committed to a date or location for her deposition 'despite repeated requests'. Her lawyer Boies has previously said Giuffre and his 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'.
Giuffre is suing Prince Andrew for damages in her home country of the United States over what she claims were multiple instances of abuse in the early 2000s. The duke is accused of having abused Giuffre at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, as well as on a visit to Epstein's private island, Little St James, and at Epstein's mansion in New York.
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News of Prince Andrew's upcoming deposition comes after court documents revealed last month that US judge Lewis A Kaplan had written letters to the senior master of the Queen’s bench division in the UK for assistance in acquiring evidence for the case, asking that Olney face questions about Andrew’s communications with Maxwell, Epstein and Giuffre, and his travel to Epstein’s homes.
In a separate letter to the high court, Kaplan also requested that Walker be asked questions about Andrew and Giuffre's presence at London's Tramp nightclub in March 2001, and about any interactions between the pair.
If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivor’s Trust for free on 08088 010 818, or through their website thesurvivorstrust.org
Topics: Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, UK News, US News