Prince Andrew Accuser to Give Deposition in Same Month as Queen's Birthday

Prince Andrew's lawyers have arranged a date for his accuser to give a sworn deposition in his Jeffrey Epstein abuse case.

The Duke of York has been accused of having sex with a 17-year-old girl trafficked for him to London, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands in the early 2000s.

Virginia Giuffre has a photograph of Queen Elizabeth II's son with his arm around her at Ghislaine Maxwell's home in London, which she has included as evidence.

The image is just one of many subjects that she will likely be questioned on when the duke's lawyers, Andrew Brettler and Melissa Lerner, sit down with her in April.

An exact date hasn't yet been released, but the queen celebrates her 96th birthday on April 21—meaning the case will potentially overshadow another happy moment for the Monarch.

Andrew's own deposition date became public on the eve of her Accession Day, the anniversary of the start of her reign, even as Elizabeth released a major update on the future of the Monarchy.

The case also has the potential to overshadow her Platinum Jubilee year, which has its center piece in June.

Andrew's civil trial will take place some time after July, so they will not overlap, but there could still be updates throughout the build up.

Giuffre's deposition may well be a challenging experience after the prince's lawyers made it clear they will go after her reputation, suggesting she is motivated by money.

Andrew B. Brettler, his attorney, said in a past court filing, seen by Newsweek: "For over a decade, Giuffre has profited from her allegations against Epstein and others by selling stories and photographs to the press and entering into secret agreements to resolve her claims against her alleged abusers, including Epstein and his ex-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.

"Most people could only dream of obtaining the sums of money that Giuffre has
secured for herself over the years.

"This presents a compelling motive for Giuffre to continue filing frivolous lawsuits against individuals such as Prince Andrew, whose sullied reputation is only the latest collateral damage of the Epstein scandal."

It subsequently emerged that a 2009 settlement agreement between Giuffre and Epstein was valued at $500,000.

Andrew's team will also likely try to challenge the authenticity of the photo she submitted of the prince with his arm around her.

The Duke told the BBC in November 2019: "From the investigations that we've done, you can't prove whether or not that photograph is faked or not because it is a photograph of a photograph of a photograph.

"So it's very difficult to be able to prove it but I don't remember that photograph ever being taken."