United States: Prince Andrew to face sexual assault trial

Prince Andrew, son of Queen Elizabeth II of England, has failed to convince an American judge to dismiss the complaint filed by Virginia Giuffre, who accuses him of sexually assaulting her as a teenager, according to a ruling. of justice rendered in New York, January 12, 2022. Lindsey Parnaby AFP / File

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Prince Andrew, son of Queen Elizabeth II, entangled in a sex scandal linked to the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell case, has failed to have the civil complaint of an American woman, Virginia Giuffre, who accuses him of the having sexually assaulted when she was a teenager.

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With our correspondent in New York

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The Manhattan federal court decision comes as no surprise.

During the hearing, Judge Lewis Kaplan was skeptical of Prince Andrew's lawyers and their request to dismiss the charges against the Duke of York. 

The facts mentioned in the complaint in question date back to 2001. Virginia Giuffre was 17 years old at the time.

That year, she says, Prince Andrew allegedly sexually assaulted her in London, New York and the Virgin Islands, where Prince Andrew's friend Jeffrey Epstein owned residences. 

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The prince has always denied the facts, claiming not to remember the young woman.

A version contradicted by the many photos showing them together. 

His lawyers considered that the complaint filed in New York is without merit, because Virginia Giuffre had, in 2009, signed an agreement with Jeffrey Epstein pledging not to prosecute either the businessman or other potential defendants.

Today is the second time that Judge Kaplan has dismissed a motion to quash.

A decision that paves the way for a trial at the end of 2022. Explosive for the British monarchy. 

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