Prince Andrew faces giving sworn testimony to counter Virginia Giuffre’s sex abuse claims

The move will allow the US civil case to begin, meaning Prince Andrew will have to provide sworn evidence on Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Britain's Prince Andrew will be served US legal papers by the High Court in London. Picture: AFP

The High Court in London has agreed to serve legal papers on Prince Andrew notifying him of sex abuse claims against him by Queensland woman Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

In a fresh step that will allow the United States civil case to begin – and Andrew to have to provide sworn evidence about his relationship with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell – the legal papers are now to be served on Andrew either by the High Court itself, or by arrangements through the legal representatives of the two parties.

Andrew, 61, who is the Queen’s third child, has vehemently rejected Ms Giuffre’s claims of battery and emotional distress by having sex with her on three occasions, at Epstein’s Manhattan house, in London at Ms Maxwell’s mews house and on Epstein’s private island in the US Virgin Islands in 2001.

Ms Giuffre’s claims that Andrew engaged in sexual acts without her consent, knowing she was 17 at the time and “that she was a sex-trafficking victim”.

In 2019 Andrew responded to the allegations saying they never happened.

“I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened. I have no recollection of ever meeting this lady, none whatsoever,” he told BBC Newsnight.

The High court had previously rejected the request to serve the Giuffre documents, citing a technicality.

Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts at Ghislaine Maxwell's townhouse in London in 2001. Picture: Florida Southern District Court/Supplied

But on Wednesday the British court officials said in a statement: “Lawyers acting for Ms Giuffre have now provided further information to the High Court, and the High Court has accepted the request for service under The Hague Service Convention.

“The legal process has not yet been served but the High Court will now take steps to serve under the convention, unless service is arranged by agreement between the parties.”

This means that with the papers formally served, the US court can proceed with a pre-trial date set in New York for October 13.

Andrew’s lawyers had earlier this week told Judge Lewis Caplan the Prince hadn’t been properly served the documents and that the claims against him are “baseless, non-viable and potentially unlawful”.

Ms Giuffre’s lawyers told the court they had served the documents on Andrew’s police protection officers guarding his home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, and by Royal Mail on August 27.

Andrew’s legal team has foreshadowed that they will try and have the case struck out based on a sealed financial settlement agreed to between Epstein and Ms Giuffre back in 2009.