There Are No Medical Documents to Prove Prince Andrew's 'Inability to Sweat', Lawyers Reportedly Say
06:36 GMT 07.01.2022 (Updated: 15:17 GMT 28.05.2023)
© AP Photo / Steve ParsonsBritain's Prince Andrew attends the Sunday service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, following the announcement of Prince Philip, in England, Sunday, April 11, 2021.
![Britain's Prince Andrew attends the Sunday service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, following the announcement of Prince Philip, in England, Sunday, April 11, 2021. Britain's Prince Andrew attends the Sunday service at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge, Windsor, following the announcement of Prince Philip, in England, Sunday, April 11, 2021. - Sputnik International, 1920, 07.01.2022](https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07e5/0a/0a/1089821637_0:295:1308:1031_1920x0_80_0_0_9a3aaee3301614bb1167f08d5300651d.jpg)
© AP Photo / Steve Parsons
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The Duke of York has been sued by an American woman, Virginia Giuffre, who claims she was forced into an intimate relationship with the royal when she was a minor. Prince Andrew has consistently denied the accusations and contested several of Mrs Giuffre's claims.
Prince Andrew's lawyers say there are no medical documents to substantiate his claim about an inability to sweat, Newsweek has reported, citing court documents. According to the outlet, in a court filing the royal's legal team wrote that "no such documents exist in his possession, custody, or control", referring to the recent demand made by the attorneys for the Duke of York's accuser, Virginia Giuffre.
"A diligent search and a reasonable inquiry have been made in an effort to comply with this demand", the royal's lawyers wrote.
In his 2019 interview with the BBC, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II addressed claims made by Giuffre – that he slept with her at least three times against her will, including when she was a minor. The mother of three has alleged that Prince Andrew was "profusely sweating" while dancing with her at London's Tramp nightclub.
The Duke of York stated that an overdose of adrenaline he suffered while participating in the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 left him unable to sweat.
Several medical experts, who spoke with UK media outlets, have questioned the royal's claim. Adam Taylor, professor in anatomy at Lancaster University, said an overdose of adrenaline is unlikely to have a strong impact on the work of sweat glands.
The Duke of York stated that an overdose of adrenaline he suffered while participating in the Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 left him unable to sweat.
Several medical experts, who spoke with UK media outlets, have questioned the royal's claim. Adam Taylor, professor in anatomy at Lancaster University, said an overdose of adrenaline is unlikely to have a strong impact on the work of sweat glands.
"The vast majority of sweat glands in the body respond to a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. Whilst a very small number do respond to adrenaline, this small number typically only become active in response to stressful situations. Most sweat glands are controlled by a different mechanism. An overdose in adrenaline would have other more significant effects on the body too", Professor Taylor told the Daily Express.
Connection to Jeffrey Epstein
The Duke of York maintained a relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, a US financier who was charged with running a sex trafficking network of minors in 2019. Virginia Giuffre is one of the alleged victims of Epstein. She claims the financier and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to London and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew.
The royal contested this allegation, claiming he has an alibi for the day the purported sexual intercourse took place – a trip to a PizzaExpress restaurant with one of his daughters. He also claimed that he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre, although two individuals said they reportedly saw Prince Andrew and Virginia together and there is at least one photo showing the royal standing with the girl with Ghislaine Maxwell behind them (Andrew maintains it could have been doctored).
Virginia Guiffre 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 to have the case dismissed several times. They also said that a 2009 settlement between Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, which saw the financier pay the woman $500,000, protects the royal "from any liability".
The document, which has been recently unsealed, does not mention Prince Andrew, but says that Giuffre agrees to "remise, release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge the said second parties and any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant…from all, and all manner of, action and actions of Virginia Roberts, including state or federal, cause and causes of action".
Reports say that Judge Lewis Kaplan is expected to announce this week whether the lawsuit against Prince Andrew can be dismissed. If not, then the trial is expected to begin in late 2022.
The royal contested this allegation, claiming he has an alibi for the day the purported sexual intercourse took place – a trip to a PizzaExpress restaurant with one of his daughters. He also claimed that he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre, although two individuals said they reportedly saw Prince Andrew and Virginia together and there is at least one photo showing the royal standing with the girl with Ghislaine Maxwell behind them (Andrew maintains it could have been doctored).
Virginia Guiffre 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 to have the case dismissed several times. They also said that a 2009 settlement between Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein, which saw the financier pay the woman $500,000, protects the royal "from any liability".
The document, which has been recently unsealed, does not mention Prince Andrew, but says that Giuffre agrees to "remise, release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge the said second parties and any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant…from all, and all manner of, action and actions of Virginia Roberts, including state or federal, cause and causes of action".
Reports say that Judge Lewis Kaplan is expected to announce this week whether the lawsuit against Prince Andrew can be dismissed. If not, then the trial is expected to begin in late 2022.