Prince Andrew served court papers in sex assault lawsuit
PRINCE Andrew has been served with court papers outlining lurid allegations by sex trafficking victim Virginia Giuffre, her lawyers say.
Legal staff handed the documents to royal protection officers at the Royal Lodge, his home in Windsor, two weeks ago after being told they could not meet Andrew in person, court papers reveal.
Andrew, 61, who strongly denies all the allegations, saying he has no recollection of meeting Virginia, is understood to be aware of the development.
Allegations
Mother-of-three Virginia, 38, is suing the prince, claiming she was “loaned” out to him at 17 by his paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein and the billionaire’s alleged “recruiter” Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001.
Under the Hague Convention, Virginia’s team must present the papers to Andrew in person. But legal documents lodged in the US claim the summons has been served to the prince properly under UK law.
If deemed to be the case, he will have until Friday to respond.
Virginia’s lawyer David Boies has previously confirmed they were trying to serve the lawsuit by hand, adding: “He is a foreign citizen so we must do this under the Hague Convention.”
Mr Boies also said Andrew “cannot hide behind wealth and palace walls”.
The civil suit’s first hearing will be on September 13, when Virginia’s lawyers must tell the judge if Andrew has the papers.
She accuses him of sexual assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress after allegedly being forced to have sex with him in London, New York and on Epstein’s island in the Caribbean.
In late 2019, Andrew told BBC Newsnight he had not had sex with her, insisting: “It didn’t happen.”
Virginia, now in Australia, wants compensation and punitive damages which could be more than £14million.
If Andrew is not found to have been served by December 7, legal experts warn the case may collapse. US civil litigation lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who represents several Epstein victims, said Andrew’s team could try to dismiss the allegations on several grounds, including diplomatic immunity.
Andrew this week visited the Queen’s Balmoral estate in Scotland for the second time in a month. He was reportedly “going stir crazy” in his Royal Lodge house.
A source said after travelling to Balmoral with his live-in former wife Sarah Ferguson on Tuesday, Andrew was in a “buoyant” mood.