Virginia Giuffre's Lawyers Demand Prince Andrew Prove His 'Inability to Sweat'
08:37 GMT 31.12.2021 (Updated: 15:17 GMT 28.05.2023)
© AP Photo / Bebeto Matthews
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The Duke of York faces accusations from an American woman, Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was forced into an intimate relationship with Andrew when she was a minor. The royal has categorically denied the accusations. His legal team is now fighting to have the lawsuit dismissed by a judge.
Prince Andrew's battle with Virginia Giuffre has reached a new level bitterness after the woman's lawyers asked the royal to substantiate his claim about being unable to sweat, the Daily Mail has reported, citing court documents. According to the outlet, the attorneys submitted a motion demanding the Duke of York hand over documents about the "alleged medical condition of anhidrosis, hyperhidrosis".
They have also demanded to provide information about the following issues:
They have also demanded to provide information about the following issues:
any documents concerning any allegations of sexual abuse or extramarital sex made against Prince Andrew;
any documents about massages the 61-year-old received, including about individuals who may have provided these services;
any communication between Prince Andrew, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ghislaine Maxwell and their lawyers concerning sexual abuse allegations made against the trio;
documents regarding the royal's meetings and schedules in 2001, the year Ms Giuffre claims Andrew slept with her, including when she was a minor under US law. In particular, the attorneys want to see documents concerning the defendant's travel to and from Jeffrey Epstein's mansions across the US and his private island, as well as his visit to a PizzaExpress restaurant;
Prince Andrew's lawyers have since rejected the motion, describing it as "harassing", "oppressive", and "overbroad".
"It seeks confidential and private information and documents that are irrelevant, immaterial, and not reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence", the lawyers said.
Connection to Sexual Offender and the Sweat Claim
Virginia Giuffre (nee Roberts) is one of the alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein, a US financier, who was charged with running a sex trafficking network of minors in 2019. Long before that, in 2008, he served a prison sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution, but thanks to a plea deal received a lenient punishment. Epstein had many friends in high circles, including Prince Andrew, former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and ex-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell groomed girls and young women for the financier, offering them jobs as masseuses in the house of the millionaire. That is how Giuffre ended up working for Epstein. The mother of three claims that when she was 17, which is considered a minor in most US states, she was trafficked to London, where she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew. She was introduced to the royal at a nightclub before the four of them headed to Maxwell's mansion, where the royal reportedly slept with the girl.
Giuffre also claims that the Duke of York had sex with her on two other separate occasions without her consent. The woman came forward with the accusations in the 2010s, but the case only received attention in 2019 after Epstein's arrest.
That same year, Prince Andrew gave an interview to the BBC where he tried to explain his relationship with Epstein as well as address the allegations made against him. The royal categorically denied the accusations. He claimed he had an alibi for the day the purported sexual intercourse occurred in London - he went with one of his daughters to a PizzaExpress restaurant.
He also commented on Giuffre’s claim that he was "profusely sweating" while dancing with her at the aforementioned nightclub. The royal said he is unable to sweat due to a "peculiar medical condition" he has suffered from since participating in the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982. The Duke of York is a trained helicopter pilot and back then flew on multiple missions.
Epstein's accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell groomed girls and young women for the financier, offering them jobs as masseuses in the house of the millionaire. That is how Giuffre ended up working for Epstein. The mother of three claims that when she was 17, which is considered a minor in most US states, she was trafficked to London, where she was forced to have sex with Prince Andrew. She was introduced to the royal at a nightclub before the four of them headed to Maxwell's mansion, where the royal reportedly slept with the girl.
Giuffre also claims that the Duke of York had sex with her on two other separate occasions without her consent. The woman came forward with the accusations in the 2010s, but the case only received attention in 2019 after Epstein's arrest.
That same year, Prince Andrew gave an interview to the BBC where he tried to explain his relationship with Epstein as well as address the allegations made against him. The royal categorically denied the accusations. He claimed he had an alibi for the day the purported sexual intercourse occurred in London - he went with one of his daughters to a PizzaExpress restaurant.
He also commented on Giuffre’s claim that he was "profusely sweating" while dancing with her at the aforementioned nightclub. The royal said he is unable to sweat due to a "peculiar medical condition" he has suffered from since participating in the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982. The Duke of York is a trained helicopter pilot and back then flew on multiple missions.
"I didn't sweat at the time because I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenalin in the Falklands War when I was shot at and I simply…it was almost impossible for me to sweat", the royal said.
After he made the claim numerous UK media outlets published photos, showing the royal sweating.
Prince Andrew also claimed that he never met Giuffre, something which has been questioned as there is at least one photo showing the royal standing with the girl with Ghislaine Maxwell behind them (he maintains it could have been doctored). Two people also claimed to have seen him with Giuffre – at a nightclub and on Epstein's private island, where the financier and his powerful friends are believed to have sexually abused girls and women.
Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in New York seeking "accountability" from Prince Andrew and demanding an unspecified amount in damages from the royal. His lawyers have attempted several times to have the case dismissed under various pretexts. Reports say that next week a judge in a federal court in New York will decide whether the lawsuit can be thrown out. If not, then the trial is expected to begin in late 2022.
Prince Andrew also claimed that he never met Giuffre, something which has been questioned as there is at least one photo showing the royal standing with the girl with Ghislaine Maxwell behind them (he maintains it could have been doctored). Two people also claimed to have seen him with Giuffre – at a nightclub and on Epstein's private island, where the financier and his powerful friends are believed to have sexually abused girls and women.
Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit in New York seeking "accountability" from Prince Andrew and demanding an unspecified amount in damages from the royal. His lawyers have attempted several times to have the case dismissed under various pretexts. Reports say that next week a judge in a federal court in New York will decide whether the lawsuit can be thrown out. If not, then the trial is expected to begin in late 2022.
