Prince Andrew's bid to have Virginia Giuffre civil case scrapped has been rejected - he could now face trial

Prince Andrew could now reportedly face trial in the United States after a judge has denied the Queen’s son’s bid to have Virginia Giuffre's lawsuit against him dismissed. 

• Prince Andrew, Duke of York has failed to get Virginia Giuffre’s civil case against him dismissed by a US judge. 
• It has been ruled that a claim could be heard and Prince Andrew has consistently denied the allegations made against him. 
• This royal news comes as the Queen is set for more grieving as yet another loved one dies.

Prince Andrew’s attempt to get Virginia Giuffre's civil case against him dismissed has failed, meaning the Queen’s son and a could now reportedly face trial. Virginia previously filed a civil case in New York and alleged that she was the victim of sexual abuse by Prince Andrew when she was 17. The Duke of York has repeatedly denied the allegations made by Virginia against him. 

In court, his lawyers put forward their bid to have the case thrown out in light of an agreement it’s claimed Virginia made back in 2009 with Jeffrey Epstein, of whom Prince Andrew was once a friend. However, despite the Prince’s legal team’s bid, a US judge has now ruled that the case can be heard against this well-known member of The Firm.

As reported by The Independent, the motion to dismiss was ruled against by US District Judge Lewis Kaplan on Wednesday January 12th. His ruling comes just over a week after both legal teams made their case at a hearing and allows Virginia’s civil case to move forward. It’s understood that this now means that Prince Andrew who is still a prince could go on to face a trial.

According to The Guardian, Prince Andrew could possibly go on to appeal the recent ruling by filing a motion for reconsideration. Either way, the publication reports that on the January 4th hearing Judge Kaplan said that discovery – the term given to the formal process of exchanging information between the sides about the witnesses and evidence they’ll present at trial - would continue.

It’s thought that evidence will be exchanged and whilst it’s of course possible that Prince Andrew and Virginia could reach a settlement during the proceedings, he could also be called to testify.

Vehemently denying the allegations made against him, the Prince has reportedly described Virginia as seeking “another payday at his expense”. This latest ruling will no doubt come as a huge blow to his mother the Queen after what has been a difficult past year losing Prince Philip and moving through the aftermath of the Sussexes’ Oprah interview amongst other challenges.

Once described as her “golden boy” son, Prince Andrew’s legal battle will likely cause her great stress and sadness in her 70th year on the throne. Opening up in Channel 5 documentary 2021: The Queen’s Horrible Year, royal commentator Emily Andrews is said to have reflected on how the case which had already been filed against him was affecting the monarch so deeply. 

“The poor Queen, It really feels as if, you know it's one kind of blow after the other. This is one of the most serious affairs of the last five ten years for the Queen. This is not going to go away,” the commentator said.