Sarah Ferguson ‘likely’ to be called as witness in Prince Andrew lawsuit
Sarah Ferguson ‘will likely be subpoenaed’ in Prince Andrew’s sex abuse case as lawyers seek answers to what she knew.
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Sarah, the Duchess of York is likely to be subpoenaed if Prince Andrew fails to get his sexual abuse case thrown out of court, royal courtiers fear.
UK media reports the Duke has vowed to “robustly engage” in the legal process, as his lawyers prepare to fight against his accuser, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and examine her “multiple inconsistencies” in forensic detail.
Prince Andrew, 61, has categorically denied all allegations.
But his team is aware that if the case reaches the discovery stage he faces having to hand over personal documents and information, while closest relatives could have to testify.
In a disastrous interview on British TV, Andrew claimed he was at a pizza restaurant in Woking on the evening of one of the alleged encounters with Giuffre who was 17 at the time she acted as a sex slave for Jeffrey Epstein.
Courtiers believe that since Andrew’s alibi may be tied to Sarah Ferguson’s whereabouts, she will likely be called to testify.
According to The Sun, Bradley Simon, a defence lawyer specialising in complex civil litigation, said: “They’re going to ask for a kitchen sink.
“They’re going to seek every correspondence, phone logs, emails, diaries. They’re going to go after people who were with him. It’s going to be open season.”
During his BBC Newsnight interview, Andrew suggested that the night he was alleged to have had sex with Giuffre in 2001 he was actually at a Pizza Express birthday party in Woking.
He had said at the time: “That couldn’t have happened because the date being suggested — the 10th of March — I was at home with the children.
“I’d taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon.
“And then because the Duchess was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other is there.”
It comes as it has been claimed that Andrew had the “time of his life” at a dinner party hosted by his former friend Epstein, in a Manhattan mansion in 2010.
QUEEN ‘FUNDING ANDREW’S BATTLE’
It comes as the Queen is reportedly spending millions of pounds to privately fund her son Prince Andrew’s fight against allegations of sex abuse.
The Duke of York, 61, is battling a lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, 38, which claims he sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17. Andrew categorically denies the offences.
According to The Sun, the Queen, 95, is reportedly funding Andrew’s legal fight, The Telegraph understands, and is spending millions on her son’s defence.
Her Majesty reportedly decided to pay for her son’s defence at the start of 2020 – just after his disastrous interview on Newsnight with Emily Maitlis.
The money going towards Andrew’s legal costs is reportedly coming from her Duchy of Lancaster estate, which generates more than £23 million ($A43 million) in income.
Royal courtiers expect the legal bill to run into the millions.
Andrew recently expanded his American legal team, hiring Princeton graduate Melissa Lerner who will work alongside lead counsel Andrew Brettler.
Mr Brettler is reportedly charging Andrew around US$2000 ($A2756) an hour.
Ms Lerner and Mr Brettler work for high profile Los Angeles-based firm Lavely Singer, who are known for working on legal problems for celebrities, the Daily Mail reported.
Ms Lerner previously represented the family of Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell after his death, while Mr Brettler has represented Armie Hammer after he was accused of sexual assault.
Andrew’s personal finances are unclear but experts have pointed out that he has no regular source of income.
He leases his home, Royal Lodge on the Queen’s Windsor estate, and is expected to sell a Swiss ski chalet to repay a debt to its previous owner, who claims he and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson owe her £6.7 million ($A9.23 million).
The Queen’s contribution to Andrew’s defence reportedly means his UK-based legal team, led by Gary Bloxsome, would be obliged to provide updates to Buckingham Palace about the case.
However, courtiers have been kept “largely in the dark”, according to The Telegraph.
The Duke of York had been staying for weeks at the Queen’s Scottish estate, Balmoral, to avoid US lawyers trying to serve sex abuse lawsuit papers on him.
But last week, lawyers officially conceded that the legal papers relating to Virginia Giuffre’s sex assault claims have been served to the duke’s legal team.
Giuffre – a victim of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein – is attempting to sue the Duke in a New York court.
Andrew has until 29 October to respond to the lawsuit, with the next hearing scheduled for 3 November.
Prince Andrew strongly denies all allegations of misconduct made against him.
It comes as the Queen paid tribute to “people who have made an extraordinary contribution to the lives of others” during the Covid-19 pandemic as she formally opened the new session of the Scottish parliament.
The royal has been in Scotland on her annual break in Balmoral, and delivered a speech in the debating chamber to mark the official start of the parliament’s sixth session.
She has attended the opening of every parliament since it was created in 1999.
The ceremony also featured music, poetry, and statements by Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Prince Charles and Camilla were also in attendance.
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Originally published as Sarah Ferguson ‘likely’ to be called as witness in Prince Andrew lawsuit
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