Prince Andrew To Be Questioned Under Oath For 'Two Days' By Accuser Virginia Giuffre's Lawyer As Ongoing Sexual Assault Case Heats Up
Prince Andrew is certainly feeling the heat after his accuser Virginia Giuffre's lawyer, David Boies, revealed the royal will be questioned for "a day or probably two" to obtain deposition for the sexual assault lawsuit.
According to Radar, the session is expected to take place in London sometime this year.
Virginia — who alleged she was trafficked by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — sued the 61-year-old in August 2021, claiming she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three occasions when she was a minor.
Despite the damning evidence against him — including a photo of Andrew with Virginia and his apparent old pal Ghislaine, a convicted sex offender — Queen Elizabeth II's son has vehemently denied the shocking allegations. Andrew previously insisted he has no recollection of ever meeting his accuser when asked about the accusations.
While talking to Daily Telegraph, Virginia's attorney explained the Duke of York will be asked several questions surrounding the claims brought against him. "I'm going to try to get him to understand that this is not going to be combative," David explained to the outlet. "Obviously, I'm going to ask him a lot of questions."
"And although some of the questions may be uncomfortable, I'm not going to be aggressive or in any way offensive to him," David reportedly maintained. "I'm going to be respectful."
The lawyer also revealed he "doesn't think we would need" to involve Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, nor his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, in the testimony.
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- Prince Andrew 'Could Be Forced To Give Up All Of His Military Titles In A Matter Of Weeks' Ahead Of Hearing, Source Predicts
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In regards to Her Majesty, David said it would be helpful in the case to know about the conversations had between Andrew and his mom, but: "it's hard to get at those, because he's [Andrew] probably not going to admit to them, and we're not going to depose her [the Queen]."
The 38-year-old's attorney also revealed, per Radar, that his client will not settle unless the embattled prince admits to knowing her — or comes up with a financial offer.
"We would be unlikely to settle in a situation in which somebody just handed over a cheque. So if Prince Andrew maintains, 'I've never heard of this person,' 'I don't know who she is,' 'The photographs are fake,' I don't think we would settle on that basis," David told the publication. "That said, if you had a settlement that was large enough to be, in effect, a vindication, then it's something we would obviously look at."
According to Radar, Andrew's team is apparently planning to look for help from Kevin Spacey, who has been accused of sexual misconduct, to help clear the father-of-two's name from any ties to Ghislaine.
The disgraced actor was previously pictured in a photo with Ghislaine — who was found guilty on five out of the six trafficking-related charges last month — sitting on a throne at Buckingham Palace during a private tour in 2002 that was organized by the prince.
"If Kevin can convince a jury he was the crucial link with Ghislaine, rather than Andrew, it distances the Prince from her somewhat — that's crucial," an insider reportedly explained of the defense team's plan.
In light of Andrew's headline-making lawsuit, the queen stripped him of his military titles and royal patronages, meaning he will be defended in the case as a "private citizen."