Judge Sets Timeline For Prince Andrew's Upcoming Sexual Assault Trial — Details
After Virginia Roberts sued Prince Andrew for allegedly raping her when she was 17 years old, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan finally set a timeline for the sexual assault trial.
On Wednesday, November 3, the judge said the trial would occur between September and December 2022. Due to the ongoing pandemic, it's not possible to set an exact date.
Roberts' attorney David Boies and Andrew's attorney Andrew Brettler said they would most likely collect depositions from eight to 12 witnesses before the trial.
It's unclear who the witnesses are yet, but as The Royal Observer previously reported, Prince Andrew's ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, in addition to his two daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will likely be subpoenaed.
Andrew has denied any wrongdoing and said he was not at a nightclub with Roberts. Instead, he took Beatrice to a gathering.
“I was with the children and I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at I suppose four or five in the afternoon … and then because the duchess [Sarah Ferguson] was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other is there," he said.
“The Duchess of York would know if she was away on the night of March 10, she will know if she spoke to Andrew, she will know if Beatrice had a party at a Pizza Express,” a source told Knewz. “There is light she can shed on this case, and lawyers for Roberts will compel her via court and the law to do so.”
The insider added, “Princess Beatrice and possibly her sister, Eugenie, will be able to confirm or deny she attended a pizza party — and whether or not her father attended, and then took her home. It is pretty black or white.”
Now, it looks like Andrew's drama is causing more tension within the family.
“Think about this scenario … the court has already told Andrew he must submit to questions from opposing counsel no later than July 14 next year," the source said. “Roberts' counsel will want to have deposed Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York along with Andrew’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, before then. This all set against a backdrop of a national celebration for Her Majesty The Queen, who will become the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, seventy years of service, which is set to take place in June."
The insider continued, “The Duke’s legal issues, unless dropped or settled, will be the blackest of black eyes for The Monarchy and will ruin the Platinum Jubilee.”
