Prince Andrew news - live: Queen strips Duke of titles as Maxwell no longer fighting to keep names sealed
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military titles and will defend a civil sexual assault as a “private citizen”, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday.
“With the Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and royal patronage have been returned to the Queen,” the Palace said in a statement.
“The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
Andrew will no longer be known as His Royal Highness.
Virginia Giuffre is suing Andrew in a federal court in New York alleging she was forced to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein’s friends – including the Duke of York – when she was 17. Prince Andrew strongly denies the allegations against him.
Meanwhile, Ghislaine Maxwell is no longer fighting to hide information – including eight names – from Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit against her, her lawyers say.
Lawyers for Ms Giuffre, who has accused Maxwell and Epstein of sexually abusing her, have long fought to unseal the names of eight “John Does” mentioned in their 2015 civil lawsuit.
Maxwell’s attorneys pushed back, but on Thursday they appeared to give up the fight.
Key Points
Prince Andrew stripped of military titles
Prince Andrew case: Will he face trial over Virginia Giuffre’s claims of sex abuse?
Virginia Giuffre is not interested in purely financial settlement with Prince Andrew, lawyer says
Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson may be questioned in Prince Andrew’s sex assault case
22:00 , Bevan Hurley
Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson could be questioned as part of Prince Andrew’s sexual assault case.
The Duke of York’s eldest daughter and ex-wife may be cross-examined on camera by Judge Lewis Kaplan after the Duke of York’s attempt to have the case dismissed was thrown out on Wednesday, meaning he faces trial in Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit.
The 61-year-old has vehemently denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations she was forced to have sex with him more than two decades ago.
His legal team has been asked to supply evidence to support his claims he took Princess Beatrice to a Pizza Express restaurant in Woking, Surrey, on the night Ms Giuffre alleges he had sex with her.
Thomas Kingsley has more.
Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson may be questioned in Andrew’ sex assault case
Will Prince Andrew face trial over Virginia Giuffre’s claims of sex abuse?
21:30 , Bevan Hurley
A federal judge in New York threw out a request by Prince Andrew to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing him of having sex with a 17-year-old girl who was being sex-trafficked by late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, in a bombshell ruling that paves the way for the case to go to trial.
When will the trial begin?
Judge Kaplan has given a timeframe of between September and December 2022 for the trial to commence.
According to the judge’s scheduling order, both parties must disclose expert witnesses by 13 May and rebuttal witnesses one month later.
Discovery of evidence must be completed by 14 July and a joint pretrial proposal filed by 28 July, outlining whether the parties wish to proceed to a jury trial.
However, proceedings could be held up with delays. And Prince Andrew may seek to settle the case before it gets to trial.
Rachel Sharp explains what’s likely to come next.
Will Prince Andrew now face trial?
Virginia Giuffre is not interested in purely financial settlement with Prince Andrew, lawyer says
21:00 , Bevan Hurley
Virginia Giuffre is not interested in a “purely financial settlement” in her lawsuit against Prince Andrew, her lawyer has said.
David Boise, her attorney, said she was seeking to be “vindicated” in the case.
He told BBC Newsnight: “I don’t think that she is has a firm view at this point nor could she as to exactly what the resolution could be.
“I think what’s going to be important is that this resolution vindicates her and vindicates the claim she’s made.”
He added: “A purely financial settlement is not anything that I think she is interested in.”
Read Liam James’ full story.
Virginia Giuffre ‘not interested in purely financial settlement’ with Prince Andrew
So farewell, then, your not-so-royal highness
20:30 , Bevan Hurley
“Goodness, the House of Windsor really can be ruthless when it wants to be. Or has to be, more like. Life comes fast at you when you live in comfortable seclusion in a variety of royal palaces. That princely platinum pudding, Prince Andrew is learning all about that the hard way…
On Wednesday, the Duke of York gets notice that he faces a civil sex case in New York. On Thursday he’s told to hand back his remaining patronages, honorific military titles, collection of fancy uniforms (tailored for the more portly figure) – even the title of “his royal highness” won’t be “used” any more. And him a prince-of-the-blood royal, indeed. They didn’t even do that to Edward VIII when he abdicated back in 1936. Quite a day.
Dramatic as the developments are, though, it’s all been coming for some time. The regiments and the public have had enough of him. Sorry, ma’am.”
Read Sean O’Grady’s piece for The Independent Voices here.
So farewell, then, your not-so-royal highness | Sean O’Grady
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his titles. What next for the Queen’s favourite son?
20:00 , Bevan Hurley
“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.
Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne. Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead. Yet they were not happy times for the Queen, or her children. In the preceding 12 months, three of them had separated from their partners.
Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queen’s favourite.”
Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent’s Voices.
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his titles. What now for the Queen’s favorite son?
‘We don’t want to toast his health’
19:28 , Bevan Hurley
Former BBC Royal correspondent Jenny Bond said she was surprised to see Prince Andrew stripped of his military titles and patronages.
“Clearly pressure has been exerted on him, and pressure on the Queen was growing for some action because of the disquiet within the military, and people beginning to say ‘we don’t want to toast his health’ at the end of regimental dinners,” Ms Bond told the BBC.
“With the court procedures the way they are in the United States, this is going to roll on and on probably well into next year, thus overshadowing the Queen’s platinum jubilee year so that, I think, will be very much up in Prince Andrew’s mind.”
Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Thursday to say the Duke of York was handing back his titles and would fight a civil sexual assault lawsuit as a “private citizen”.
Ghislaine Maxwell no longer fighting to keep names sealed from Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit
19:03 , Bevan Hurley
Ghislaine Maxwell is no longer fighting to hide information – including eight names – from Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against her, her lawyers say.
Lawyers for Ms Giuffre, who has accused Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her, have long fought to unseal the names of eight “John Does” mentioned in their 2015 civil lawsuit. Maxwell’s attorneys pushed back, but on Thursday they appeared to give up the fight.
The Independent’s Nathan Place has more.
Ghislaine Maxwell no longer fighting to hide John Does’ real names
Full list of military titles Prince Andrew has lost
18:42 , Bevan Hurley
Prince Andrew has been stripped of his military titles, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday.
The announcement came after more than 150 Royal Navy, RAF and Army veterans signed a letter asking for the Queen to relieve the prince Andrew of his military appointments.
The decision means Prince Andrew will lose the following titles:
Colonel of the Grenadier Guards
Honorary air commodore of RAF Lossiemouth
Colonel-in-chief of the Royal Irish Regiment
Colonel-in-chief of the Small Arms School Corps
Commodore-in-Chief of the Fleet Air Arm
Royal colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers
Deputy colonel-in-chief of The Royal Lancers (Queen Elizabeths’ Own)
Royal colonel of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Buckingham Palace responds as royal loses bid to block Virginia Giuffre sex abuse lawsuit
18:30 , Bevan Hurley
Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on a judge’s ruling to allow Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed.
Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Andrew’s bid to have Ms Giuffre’s civil case thrown out in a judgment issued on Wednesday.
A Palace spokesperson told The Independent: “We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter.’’
Prince Andrew’s spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment on the decision.
Read the full story here.
Palace refuses to comment as Prince Andrew loses bid to block sex abuse lawsuit
Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson may be questioned in Prince Andrew’s sex assault case
18:15 , Bevan Hurley
Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson could be questioned as part of Prince Andrew’s sexual assault case.
The Duke of York’s eldest daughter and ex-wife may be cross-examined on camera by Judge Lewis Kaplan after the Duke of York’s attempt to have the case dismissed was thrown out on Wednesday, meaning he faces trial in Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit.
The 61-year-old has vehemently denied Ms Giuffre’s allegations she was forced to have sex with him more than two decades ago.
His legal team has been asked to supply evidence to support his claims he took Princess Beatrice to a Pizza Express restaurant in Woking, Surrey, on the night Ms Giuffre alleges he had sex with her.
Thomas Kingsley has more.
Princess Beatrice and Sarah Ferguson may be questioned in Andrew’ sex assault case
‘This is a marathon not a sprint’, says source close to Prince Andrew
17:58 , Bevan Hurley
Prince Andrew was “unsurprised” by a judge’s decision to allow Virginia Giuffre’s civil sexual assault case to move forward to trial, a source close to the royal says.
Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed a motion by Andrew’s attorneys that a 2009 settlement deal between Ms Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein absolved him of liabilty.
“Given the robustness with which Judge Kaplan greeted our arguments, we are unsurprised by the ruling. However, it was not a judgement on the merits of Ms Giuffre’s allegations,” the source said in a statement to The Independent.
“This is a marathon not a sprint and the Duke will continue to defend himself against these claims.”
Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?
17:30 , Bevan Hurley
Meghan Markle could be called as a witness in Prince Andrew’s sexual assault lawsuit, according to Virginia Giuffre’s attorney.
David Boise told The Daily Beast last month that Ms Markle may have “important knowledge” of allegations that Andrew abused his Ms Giuffre three times when she was 17.
Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that Ms Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleging she suffered battery and intentional emotional damage could move forward. Andrew has strongly denied the claims against him.
Read the full story here.
Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?
Prince Andrew stripped of military titles after sexual abuse case moves to trial
17:28 , Bevan Hurley
Prince Andrew has been relieved of his military titles, Buckingham Palace said in a statement released on Thursday.
The decision comes in the wake of a decision by a US judge to allow a civil sexual abuse case involving the Duke of York to move to trial.
Andrew denies all the allegations.
Read Tom Batchelor’s report here.
Prince Andrew stripped of military titles
‘This is really quite sad for the Queen’: Prominent figures react to news of Prince Andrew’s sex abuse trial
17:00 , Bevan Hurley
A prominent British MP has said news that Prince Andrew will face a civil sexual assault case is “horrible” for the Queen to go through as she celebrates the 70th anniversary of her ascent to the throne.
Speaking to The Independent , Labour MP Diane Abbott said: “This is really quite sad for the queen in her platinum jubilee year.
“I wouldn’t want to say more than that. We will only know when the court case is completed. But it is a horrible thing to happen in the Queen’s jubilee year.”
The Independent’s Maya Oppenheim has the full story.
Prominent figures react to news of Prince Andrew’s sex abuse trial
Prince Andrew’s civil case: What is alleged and what happens next?
16:43 , Bevan Hurley
Prince Andrew has had a motion to dismiss the civil case against him denied by a judge in New York so what is alleged against the duke and what will happen next?
Ms Giuffre is suing Andrew in a civil case in New York alleging she was forced to have sex with Jeffrey Epstein’s friends, including the Duke of York, when she was 17.
The civil case will now move into a discovery phase where Andrew may have to sit for an interview under oath.
Prince Andrew strongly denies the allegations against him.
What happens next in Prince Andrew's civil case?
Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling to allow sex abuse suit against Prince Andrew to go to trial
16:30 , Bevan Hurley
Virginia Giuffre said she is “pleased” that a federal judge in New York rejected the royal’s motion to toss the lawsuit on Wednesday, moving one step closer to the possibility that the prince will be called to testify in US court.
“Virginia Giuffre is, of course, pleased that Prince Andrew’s motion to dismiss has been denied, and that evidence will now be taken concerning her claims against him,” Ms Giuffre’s attorney David Boise said in a statement.
“She looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims.”
Read Rachel Sharp’s full report.
Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling in Prince Andrew sex abuse suit
Virginia Giuffre is not interested in purely financial settlement with Prince Andrew, lawyer says
16:06 , Bevan Hurley
Virginia Giuffre is not interested in a “purely financial settlement” in her lawsuit against Prince Andrew, her lawyer has said.
David Boise, her attorney, said she was seeking to be “vindicated” in the case.
He told BBC Newsnight: “I don’t think that she is has a firm view at this point nor could she as to exactly what the resolution could be.
“I think what’s going to be important is that this resolution vindicates her and vindicates the claim she’s made.”
He added: “A purely financial settlement is not anything that I think she is interested in.”
Read Liam James’ full story.
Virginia Giuffre ‘not interested in purely financial settlement’ with Prince Andrew
‘Nothing off limits’: Prince Andrew likely to face grilling during deposition
15:52 , Bevan Hurley
Judge Lewis Kaplan’s bombshell decision to allow Virginia Giuffre’s civil sexual assault lawsuit to move forward means Prince Andrew faces having to sit for an interview under oath.
The case now moves into a discovery phase where both Andrew and Ms Giuffre will likely be quizzed by opposing lawyers in what’s known as a deposition.
A lawyer for some of Epstein’s victims told the Daily Mirror “nothing will be off limits” when Prince Andrew is deposed.
Spencer Kuvin claimed the Duke could face questions about his sex life and intimate details about his body.
While Andrew will not have to travel to the United States for the deposition, he will be questioned “under penalty of perjury of US law”.
Meanwhile, Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boise last night said she is not interested in a “purely financial” settlement with the Duke, saying she is seeking to be “vindicated”.
Mr Boise added that he may call Meghan Markle, Prince Charles and Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson to testify.
Is 2022 going to be even worse for Queen and her favourite son than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?
15:30 , Bevan Hurley
“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.
Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.
Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead.
As it was, worse was to come for the royals and their public image following the death of Diana in a car crash in Paris in August 1997, an event to which the Queen was accused of responding coldly. Some were ready to write off the royal family.
Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queens’s favourite.”
Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent Voices here.
Is 2022 going to be worse for the Queen and Andrew than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?
Will Prince Andrew face trial over Virginia Giuffre’s claims of sex abuse?
15:00 , Bevan Hurley
A federal judge in New York threw out a request by Prince Andrew to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing him of having sex with a 17-year-old girl who was being sex-trafficked by late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, in a bombshell ruling that paves the way for the case to go to trial.
When will the trial begin?
Judge Kaplan has given a timeframe of between September and December 2022 for the trial to commence.
According to the judge’s scheduling order, both parties must disclose expert witnesses by 13 May and rebuttal witnesses one month later.
Discovery of evidence must be completed by 14 July and a joint pretrial proposal filed by 28 July, outlining whether the parties wish to proceed to a jury trial.
However, proceedings could be held up with delays. And Prince Andrew may seek to settle the case before it gets to trial.
Rachel Sharp explains what comes next.
Will Prince Andrew now face trial?
Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full
14:10 , Eleanor Sly
A judge has denied Prince Andrew’s bid to have Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against him dismissed and he will now face a civil case in the US over accusations of sexual assault.
US District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the argument of lawyers for the royal that he was absolved of liability due to a settlement reached between Ms Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago.
In his ruling, Judge Kaplan said the key phrase Andrew’s lawyers relied upon – that “other potential defendants” were covered by the settlement deal – was “far from self evident for a number of reasons”.
Liam James reports:
Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full
Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?
13:45 , Bevan Hurley
Meghan Markle could be called as a witness in Prince Andrew’s sexual assault lawsuit, according to Virginia Giuffre’s attorney.
David Boise told The Daily Beast last month that Ms Markle may have “important knowledge” of allegations that Andrew abused his Ms Giuffre three times when she was 17.
Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that Ms Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleging she suffered battery and intentional emotional damage could move forward. Andrew has strongly denied the claims against him.
Bevan Hurley has more:
Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?
Prince Andrew breaks cover leaving home in 4x4
13:05 , Eleanor Sly
Prince Andrew has been spotted on Thursday sitting in the back of his £80,000 Range Rover as it left his home in Windsor Great Park.
It is the first time he has been seen since a judge in the US ruled he should face trial in the civil sex abuse lawsuit.
Who is Prince Andrew and where is he in line to the throne?
12:10 , Eleanor Sly
The Duke of York, the Queen’s third eldest child, made headlines on Wednesday after a US court ruled that a civil case, which alleges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl, will move forward.
The royal is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who claims that she was a victim of sex trafficking by late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
Part of her abuse allegedly involved being forced to have sex with powerful men, including Prince Andrew – a claim that he has denied.
Read more:
Where is Prince Andrew in line to the throne?
Virginia Giuffre shows solidarity with victims of human trafficking
11:42 , Eleanor Sly
Virginia Giuffre tweeted her solidarity with victims of human trafficking on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
She tweeted:
On #NationalHumanTraffickingAwarenessDay I stand in solidarity with victims, past, present, and future and will continue to fight to make sure your voices are heard.
— Virginia Giuffre (@VRSVirginia) January 11, 2022
What did the judge say in the Wednesday court ruling?
10:39 , Eleanor Sly
On Wednesday a judge denied Prince Andrew’s attempt to have Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against him dismissed. As a result he will now face a civil case in the US over allegations of sexual assault.
But what exactly did the judge say?
In his ruling, US District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected the argument that a settlement reached between Ms Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein more than ten years ago would absolve him of liability.
The judge said that the claim that Prince Andrew was one of the “other potential defendants” who were covered by the settlement deal between Epstein and Ms Giuffre’s – was “far from self evident for a number of reasons”.
He said: “[Andrew] argues that he ‘could have been included’ as a ‘potential defendant’ in the Florida case because Ms Giuffre made a general reference to ‘royalty’ in her Florida complaint, even though it did not name Prince Andrew as a defendant nor even mention his name.”
Read the court ruling in full here.
Prince Andrew case: Will he face trial over Virginia Giuffre’s claims of sex abuse?
09:17 , Eleanor Sly
A federal judge in New York threw out a request by Prince Andrew to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing him of having sex with an underage girl who was being sex-trafficked by late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, in a bombshell ruling that paves the way for the case to go to trial.
Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that the lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre can move forward to trial.
Ms Giuffre has accused the Prince Andrew of having sex with her when she was 17.
Rachel Sharp has more:
Will Prince Andrew now face trial?
Virginia Giuffre is not interested in purely financial settlement with Prince Andrew, lawyer says
07:45 , Eleanor Sly
Virginia Giuffre is not interested in a “purely financial settlement” in her lawsuit against Prince Andrew, her lawyer has said.
A US court has ruled that Ms Giuffre’s allegations of sexual assault against the royal can proceed to trial in a civil case after a failed attempt by Andrew’s lawyers to have the case dismissed.
As with any civil case the possibility of an out-of-court settlement looms but Ms Giuffre’s lawyer said there had been “no suggestion” that such a resolution would yet be discussed by the two parties.
Liam James reports:
Virginia Giuffre ‘not interested in purely financial settlement’ with Prince Andrew
The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women
04:00 , Bevan Hurley
“So Prince Andrew’s best chance of throwing out the civil case against him has gone, and he faces having to defend himself in court.
More broadly, it is a right platinum-plated mess. The homely and dignified preparations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee – 70 dutiful years on the throne, complete with special new pudding – have been gatecrashed by a sex case. Bit of a party pooper. Even if he never has to turn up in a courtroom, there are no good options for him – or the institution he is inextricably tied to.
The procedural wrangles are gone, the technicalities have been brushed aside. Judge Kaplan has judged there is a case to answer, has rejected the prince’s lawyers’ interpretation of the 2009 settlement agreement Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, and things look bleak for the Duke of York.”
Read Sean O’Grady’s piece for The Independent Voices here.
The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women | Sean O’Grady
Prince Andrew: Is 2022 going to be even worse for Queen and her favourite son than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?
03:30 , Bevan Hurley
“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.
Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.
Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead.
As it was, worse was to come for the royals and their public image following the death of Diana in a car crash in Paris in August 1997, an event to which the Queen was accused of responding coldly. Some were ready to write off the royal family.
Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queens’s favourite.”
Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent Voices here.
Is 2022 going to be worse for the Queen and Andrew than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?
Who is Virginia Giuffre and what are her allegations against Prince Andrew?
03:00 , Bevan Hurley
Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, first met now-convicted Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000 at the age of 17, when she was working as a spa assistant in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, where Ms Giuffre’s father also worked as a maintenance manager.
Maxwell approached her and asked if she was interested in being a masseuse for Epstein. According to Ms Giuffre, both Epstein and Maxwell began grooming her.
Ms Giuffre was allegedly trafficked to then 41-year-old Prince Andrew in 2001. The Duke is accused of having sex with Ms Giuffre (then known by her maiden name, Virginia Roberts) on three occasions; a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17 for which she was paid $15,000, and later in New York and on Little Saint James, a small private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Read Megan Sheets’ full report here.
What are the allegations in Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew?
Jeffrey Epstein’s island: What really happened there?
02:30 , Bevan Hurley
The guests came from across the world, and from the highest ranks of society: celebrities and scientists and royals including Prince Andrew, touching down in a private jet and then boarding a helicopter to the island.
Its owner liked to call it “Little St Jeff”; locals called it “paedophile island”.
But what is the truth about Little St James, the 75-acre private paradise in the US Virgin Islands that billionaire sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein once called home?
The island is now at the centre of a web of lawsuits and criminal investigations seeking to untangle Epstein’s life.
Read Io Dodds’ full report.
Epstein’s island: What really happened there?
Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?
02:00 , Bevan Hurley
Meghan Markle could be called as a witness in Prince Andrew’s sexual assault lawsuit, according to Virginia Giuffre’s attorney.
David Boise told The Daily Beast last month that Ms Markle may have “important knowledge” of allegations that Andrew abused his Ms Giuffre three times when she was 17.
Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that Ms Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleging she suffered battery and intentional emotional damage could move forward. Andrew has strongly denied the claims against him.
Read the full story here.
Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?
Judge’s ruling hailed as an important step in ‘Virginia‘s heroic and determined pursuit of justice’
01:30 , Bevan Hurley
Sigrid McCawley, Virginia Giuffre’s attorney, has welcomed a decision by New York judge Lewis Kaplan to allow her civil sexual assault case against Prince Andrew to proceed to trial.
“Today’s decision by Judge Kaplan denying Prince Andrew’s effort to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s case against him is another important step in Virginia‘s heroic and determined pursuit of justice as a survivor of sex trafficking,” Ms McCawley said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Earlier, Ms Giuffre’s co-counsel David Boise said his client was “pleased” with the judge’s ruling and “looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims”.
Buckingham Palace responds as royal loses bid to block Virginia Giuffre sex abuse lawsuit
01:00 , Bevan Hurley
Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on a judge’s ruling to allow Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed.
Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Andrew’s bid to have Ms Giuffre’s civil case thrown out in a judgment issued on Wednesday.
A Palace spokesperson told The Independent: “We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter.’’
Prince Andrew’s spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment on the decision.
Read the full story here.
Palace refuses to comment as Prince Andrew loses bid to block sex abuse lawsuit
Prince Andrew: Is 2022 going to be even worse for Queen and her favourite son than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?
00:45 , Bevan Hurley
“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.
Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.
Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead.
As it was, worse was to come for the royals and their public image following the death of Diana in a car crash in Paris in August 1997, an event to which the Queen was accused of responding coldly. Some were ready to write off the royal family.
Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queens’s favourite.”
Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent Voices here.
Is 2022 going to be worse for the Queen and Andrew than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?
Who is Prince Andrew and where is he in line to the throne?
00:30 , Bevan Hurley
The Duke of York, the Queen’s third eldest child, made headlines on Wednesday after a US court ruled that a civil case, which alleges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl, will move forward.
The royal is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who claims that she was a victim of sex trafficking by late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward is the Queen and the late Prince Philip’s third child. At the time of his birth on 19 February 1960, he was second in line to the throne behind his older brother, Prince Charles.
As it currently stands, the royal is now ninth in the order of succession, moving down from eight place following the birth of the Duke of Sussex’s second child, Lilibet, on 4 June 2021.
Read the full story here.
Where is Prince Andrew in line to the throne?
Will Prince Andrew have to go to the US to testify in Virginia Giuffre lawsuit?
00:00 , Bevan Hurley
Prince Andrew faces a trial in New York over allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was underage after a US judge ruled her civil lawsuit can proceed to trial.
Judge Lewis Kaplan’s ruling paves the way for Ms Giuffre’s lawyers to enter into a protracted discovery and deposition phase of the trial that will require evidence from Andrew.
The judge has set a deadline for depositions to be completed by 14 July. This means that out-of-court testimony to be used in the trial must be presented before then.
Both Andrew and his accuser Virginia Giuffre are expected to answer questions under oath.
Depositions can be conducted in foreign countries under US law using internationally agreed procedures, so Andrew could remain in the UK for this phase of the trial.
He would also get to stay put if the case were settled out of court before the trial took place.
Read Liam James’ full story for The Independent here.
Will Prince Andrew have to go to the US to testify in Virginia Giuffre lawsuit?
Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling to allow sex abuse suit against Prince Andrew to go to trial
Wednesday 12 January 2022 23:30 , Bevan Hurley
Virginia Giuffre said she is “pleased” that a federal judge in New York rejected the royal’s motion to toss the lawsuit on Wednesday, moving one step closer to the possibility that the prince will be called to testify in US court.
“Virginia Giuffre is, of course, pleased that Prince Andrew’s motion to dismiss has been denied, and that evidence will now be taken concerning her claims against him,” Ms Giuffre’s attorney David Boise said in a statement.
“She looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims.”
Read Rachel Sharp’s story for The Independent here.
Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling in Prince Andrew sex abuse suit
Read the Prince Andrew-Virginia Giuffre court ruling in full
Wednesday 12 January 2022 23:00 , Bevan Hurley
Judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew can proceed in a decision released on Wednesday.
He dismissed Andrew’s legal arguments that a 2009 settlement deal between Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Giuffre could shield the royal from liability.
Judge Kaplan was equally scathing of other arguments made by Andrew’s attorney Andrew Brettler, including that Ms Giuffre’s claims were too vague, and should have fallen outside of statue of limitations.
Read Judge Kaplan’s full decision here.
Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full
The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women
Wednesday 12 January 2022 22:30 , Bevan Hurley
“So Prince Andrew’s best chance of throwing out the civil case against him has gone, and he faces having to defend himself in court.
More broadly, it is a right platinum-plated mess. The homely and dignified preparations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee – 70 dutiful years on the throne, complete with special new pudding – have been gatecrashed by a sex case. Bit of a party pooper. Even if he never has to turn up in a courtroom, there are no good options for him – or the institution he is inextricably tied to.
The procedural wrangles are gone, the technicalities have been brushed aside. Judge Kaplan has judged there is a case to answer, has rejected the prince’s lawyers’ interpretation of the 2009 settlement agreement Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, and things look bleak for the Duke of York.”
Read Sean O’Grady’s piece for The Independent Voices here.
The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women | Sean O’Grady
Prince Andrew: Is 2022 going to be even worse for Queen and her favourite son than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?
Wednesday 12 January 2022 22:15 , Bevan Hurley
“Thirty years ago, Queen Elizabeth delivered a speech that has gone down in history.
Speaking in November 1992 at the Guildhall in London, the address was to formally mark the 40th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.
Under usual circumstances it might have been an occasion for the Queen to reflect on the moment, what she believed she had accomplished so far as Britain’s unelected head of state, and how she foresaw the years ahead.
Yet, all of these travails may appear as pale as freshly fallen snow in comparison to the challenges now facing Prince Andrew, 61, long said to have been the Queens’s favourite.”
Read Chief US Correspondent Andrew Buncombe’s piece for The Independent Voices here.
Is 2022 going to be worse for the Queen and Andrew than notorious ‘Annus horribilis’?
Read the Prince Andrew-Virginia Giuffre court ruling in full
Wednesday 12 January 2022 22:00 , Bevan Hurley
Judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew can proceed in a decision released on Wednesday.
He dismissed Andrew’s legal arguments that a 2009 settlement deal between Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Giuffre could shield the royal from liability.
Judge Kaplan was equally scathing of other arguments made by Andrew’s attorney Andrew Brettler, including that Ms Giuffre’s claims were too vague, and should have fallen outside of statue of limitations.
Read Judge Kaplan’s full decision here.
Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full
Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?
Wednesday 12 January 2022 21:30 , Bevan Hurley
Meghan Markle could be called as a witness in Prince Andrew’s sexual assault lawsuit, according to Virginia Giuffre’s attorney.
David Boise told The Daily Beast last month that Ms Markle may have “important knowledge” of allegations that Andrew abused his Ms Giuffre three times when she was 17.
Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled on Wednesday that Ms Giuffre’s civil lawsuit alleging she suffered battery and intentional emotional damage could move forward. Andrew has strongly denied the claims against him.
Read the full story here.
Will Meghan Markle be called to speak at Andrew’s civil trial?
Jeffrey Epstein’s island: What really happened there?
Wednesday 12 January 2022 21:00 , Bevan Hurley
The guests came from across the world, and from the highest ranks of society: celebrities and scientists and royals including Prince Andrew, touching down in a private jet and then boarding a helicopter to the island.
Its owner liked to call it “Little St Jeff”; locals called it “paedophile island”.
But what is the truth about Little St James, the 75-acre private paradise in the US Virgin Islands that billionaire sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein once called home?
The island is now at the centre of a web of lawsuits and criminal investigations seeking to untangle Epstein’s life.
Read Io Dodds’ full report.
Epstein’s island: What really happened there?
Judge’s ruling hailed as an important step in ‘Virginia‘s heroic and determined pursuit of justice’
Wednesday 12 January 2022 20:53 , Bevan Hurley
Sigrid McCawley, Virginia Giuffre’s attorney, has welcomed a decision by New York judge Lewis Kaplan to allow her civil sexual assault case against Prince Andrew to proceed to trial.
“Today’s decision by Judge Kaplan denying Prince Andrew’s effort to dismiss Virginia Giuffre’s case against him is another important step in Virginia‘s heroic and determined pursuit of justice as a survivor of sex trafficking,” Ms McCawley said in a statement released on Wednesday.
Earlier, Ms Giuffre’s co-counsel David Boise said his client was “pleased” with the judge’s ruling and “looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims”.
Buckingham Palace responds as royal loses bid to block Virginia Giuffre sex abuse lawsuit
Wednesday 12 January 2022 20:30 , Bevan Hurley
Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on a judge’s ruling to allow Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed.
Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Andrew’s bid to have Ms Giuffre’s civil case thrown out in a judgment issued on Wednesday.
A Palace spokesperson told The Independent: “We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter.’’
Prince Andrew’s spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment on the decision.
Read the full story here.
Palace refuses to comment as Prince Andrew loses bid to block sex abuse lawsuit
Who is Virginia Giuffre and what are her allegations against Prince Andrew?
Wednesday 12 January 2022 20:00 , Bevan Hurley
Virginia Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, first met now-convicted Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000 at the age of 17, when she was working as a spa assistant in Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, where Ms Giuffre’s father also worked as a maintenance manager.
Maxwell approached her and asked if she was interested in being a masseuse for Epstein. According to Ms Giuffre, both Epstein and Maxwell began grooming her.
Ms Giuffre was allegedly trafficked to then 41-year-old Prince Andrew in 2001. The Duke is accused of having sex with Ms Giuffre (then known by her maiden name, Virginia Roberts) on three occasions; a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17 for which she was paid $15,000, and later in New York and on Little Saint James, a small private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Read Megan Sheets’ full report here.
What are the allegations in Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew?
Read the Prince Andrew-Virginia Giuffre court ruling in full
Wednesday 12 January 2022 19:40 , Bevan Hurley
Judge Lewis Kaplan has ruled that Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault lawsuit against Prince Andrew can proceed in a decision released on Wednesday.
He dismissed Andrew’s legal arguments that a 2009 settlement deal between Jeffrey Epstein and Ms Giuffre could shield the royal from liability.
Judge Kaplan was equally scathing of other arguments made by Andrew’s attorney Andrew Brettler, including that Ms Giuffre’s claims were too vague, and should have fallen outside of statue of limitations.
Read Judge Kaplan’s full decision here.
Read the Prince Andrew court ruling in full
Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling to allow sex abuse suit against Prince Andrew to go to trial
Wednesday 12 January 2022 19:20 , Bevan Hurley
Virginia Giuffre said she is “pleased” that a federal judge in New York rejected the royal’s motion to toss the lawsuit on Wednesday, moving one step closer to the possibility that the prince will be called to testify in US court.
“Virginia Giuffre is, of course, pleased that Prince Andrew’s motion to dismiss has been denied, and that evidence will now be taken concerning her claims against him,” Ms Giuffre’s attorney David Boise said in a statement.
“She looks forward to a judicial determination of the merits of those claims.”
Read Rachel Sharp’s story for The Independent here.
Virginia Giuffre welcomes judge’s ruling in Prince Andrew sex abuse suit
Will Prince Andrew have to go to the US to testify in Virginia Giuffre lawsuit?
Wednesday 12 January 2022 18:50 , Bevan Hurley
Prince Andrew faces a trial in New York over allegations he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre when she was underage after a US judge ruled her civil lawsuit can proceed to trial.
Judge Lewis Kaplan’s ruling paves the way for Ms Giuffre’s lawyers to enter into a protracted discovery and deposition phase of the trial that will require evidence from Andrew.
The judge has set a deadline for depositions to be completed by 14 July. This means that out-of-court testimony to be used in the trial must be presented before then.
Both Andrew and his accuser Virginia Giuffre are expected to answer questions under oath.
Depositions can be conducted in foreign countries under US law using internationally agreed procedures, so Andrew could remain in the UK for this phase of the trial.
He would also get to stay put if the case were settled out of court before the trial took place.
Read Liam James’ full story for The Independent here.
Will Prince Andrew have to go to the US to testify in Virginia Giuffre lawsuit?
Who is Prince Andrew and where is he in line to the throne?
Wednesday 12 January 2022 18:30 , Bevan Hurley
The Duke of York, the Queen’s third eldest child, made headlines on Wednesday after a US court ruled that a civil case, which alleges that he sexually assaulted a 17-year-old girl, will move forward.
The royal is being sued by Virginia Giuffre, who claims that she was a victim of sex trafficking by late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein.
Prince Andrew Albert Christian Edward is the Queen and the late Prince Philip’s third child. At the time of his birth on 19 February 1960, he was second in line to the throne behind his older brother, Prince Charles.
As it currently stands, the royal is now ninth in the order of succession, moving down from eight place following the birth of the Duke of Sussex’s second child, Lilibet, on 4 June 2021.
Read the full story here.
Where is Prince Andrew in line to the throne?
The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women
Wednesday 12 January 2022 18:10 , Bevan Hurley
So Prince Andrew’s best chance of throwing out the civil case against him has gone, and he faces having to defend himself in court.
More broadly, it is a right platinum-plated mess. The homely and dignified preparations for the Queen’s platinum jubilee – 70 dutiful years on the throne, complete with special new pudding – have been gatecrashed by a sex case. Bit of a party pooper. Even if he never has to turn up in a courtroom, there are no good options for him – or the institution he is inextricably tied to.
The procedural wrangles are gone, the technicalities have been brushed aside. Judge Kaplan has judged there is a case to answer, has rejected the prince’s lawyers’ interpretation of the 2009 settlement agreement Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, and things look bleak for the Duke of York.
Read Sean O’Grady’s piece for The Independent Voices here.
The Prince Andrew ruling is a victory for women | Sean O’Grady
Prince Andrew could face sexual assault civil trial in September
Wednesday 12 January 2022 18:00 , Bevan Hurley
Judge Lewis Kaplan has dismissed a motion by Prince Andrew to dismiss a civil lawsuit accusing him of having sex with Virginia Giuffre when she was 17 years old.
Andrew ow faces a lengthy discovery phase in which he may have to turn over his private communications and sit for a deposition under oath.
Both parties must disclose expert witnesses by 13 May and rebuttal witnesses one month later.
Discovery of evidence must be completed by 14 July and a joint pretrial proposal filed by 28 July, outlining whether the parties wish to proceed to a jury trial.
Judge Kaplan has given a timeframe of between September and October for the trial to commence.
Read Rachel Sharp’s full story on what comes next for Prince Andrew.
Virginia Guiffre sex-abuse lawsuit ruling: Will Prince Andrew now face trial?
Virginia Giuffre sexual abuse case can move ahead to trial, judge rules
Wednesday 12 January 2022 17:45 , Bevan Hurley
Prince Andrew will have to answer accusations that he sexually abused Virginia Roberts Giuffre aged 17 after a judge denied his attempt to have the lawsuit dismissed.
The decision on Wednesday by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan paves the way for Ms Giuffre’s lawyers to enter into a protracted discovery and deposition phase that could draw in other members of the royal family.
Read The Independent’s full report here.
Sexual abuse case against Prince Andrew can move ahead to trial, judge rules
Buckingham Palace responds as royal loses bid to block Virginia Giuffre sex abuse lawsuit
Wednesday 12 January 2022 17:30 , Bevan Hurley
Buckingham Palace have refused to comment on a judge’s ruling to allow Virginia Giuffre’s sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew to proceed.
Judge Lewis Kaplan dismissed Andrew’s bid to have Ms Giuffre’s civil case thrown out in a judgment issued on Wednesday.
A Palace spokesperson told The Independent: “We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter.’’
Prince Andrew’s spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment on the decision.
Read the full story here.
Palace refuses to comment as Prince Andrew loses bid to block sex abuse lawsuit
What were Prince Andrew’s ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein?
Wednesday 12 January 2022 17:20 , Bevan Hurley
Prince Andrew’s presence in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial was most keenly felt in a photograph he didn’t appear in.
Government exhibit GX-347 showed a picture of Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein on a porch bench in the grounds of the Queen’s Balmoral estate in the Scottish Highlands.
The photo was taken on a trip the pair took to the royal manor in 1999 as the guest of Prince Andrew.
It was among 19 images released to the jury of Epstein and Maxwell in exotic locations appearing to be very much in love that were found on CDs taken from a 2019 FBI raid on Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse.
Maxwell, 60, was found guilty of five of the six federal charges against her in late December, including sex trafficking and transporting a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity.
What were Prince Andrew’s ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein?
