Prince Andrew accepts service of legal papers for sexual assault lawsuit

24 September 2021, 23:33

The Duke of York has officially received court papers relating to a sexual assault lawsuit, US officials have confirmed.

The complainant - Virginia Giuffre - is seeking damages after alleging Andrew sexually assaulted her, a claim he vehemently denies.

It comes after multiple attempts from Ms Giuffre's lawyers to deliver the legal papers to the prince in recent weeks.

Her lawyers said in early September that Andrew had officially been served with the papers, but his legal team later disputed the claim.

The ongoing issue of whether or not he had been notified about the case - known as service of proceedings - was contested during the first pre-trial hearing of the civil case last week in New York.

However, the papers have since been confirmed to have been served on 21 September, with the duke having until 29 October to respond.

Read more: Prince Andrew to face sex case in the US as High Court agrees to serve papers
Read more: Prince Andrew's lawyer: Virginia Giuffre’s sexual assault claim is 'baseless'

Prince Andrew's team delaying proceedings in assault case

Ms Giuffre is suing the Queen's son for allegedly sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager.

She claimed she was trafficked by his former friend, and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein to have sex with the duke when she was aged 17 - a minor under US law.

She is seeking unspecified damages, but there is speculation the sum could be in the millions.

Court documents show that lawyers for both sides spoke on 21 September and the time for the duke to respond was extended.