Virginia Roberts may file a multi-million-pound civil action against Prince Andrew in New York before the end of this week, her lawyer told the Daily Mail on Sunday.
David Boies said the lawsuit "would be based on her [Roberts] being lent out to Prince Andrew for sex by [late convicted sex trafficker] Jeffrey Epstein and [her] being under 18".
Additionally, Boies pointed out that the legal action would include charges of "improper sexual violations, physical and emotional distress" and that the suit would also contain a claim for damages.
Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell. This photo was included in an affidavit in which Giuffre alleged that she was directed to have sex with Andrew
© Photo : Florida Southern District Court
"To use a common phrase here in the United States, 'Time's up'", the lawyer said.
He warned that should the Duke ignore the lawsuit, it would go to trial without him and the court could deal with a default judgment. The amount of damages would then be outlined, and "that judgment could be enforced any place in the world", according to Boies.
He spoke after Buckingham Palace argued in a statement that "it is emphatically denied that the Duke of York had any form of sexual contact or relationship with Virginia Roberts. Any claim to the contrary is false and without foundation".
The Daily Mail noted that the lodging of a civil action against Prince Andrew in the US will most likely cause "huge embarrassment for the Royal Family as lawyers will seek to question him under oath about his sex life".
Virginia Roberts' Accusations Against Prince Andrew
Roberts, now 37, accuses Queen Elizabeth's second son of having sex with her on at least three occasions, claiming that the first time happened in London on 10 March 2001 when she was only 17. The Duke of York has repeatedly denied all the accusations made by Roberts against him.
In this Aug. 27, 2019, photo, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who says she was trafficked by sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, holds a news conference outside a Manhattan court where sexual assault claimants invited by a judge addressed a hearing following Epstein's jailhouse death in New York
© AP Photo / Bebeto Matthews
In November 2019, Prince Andrew defended himself against the allegations in a bombshell BBC interview that provoked a strong public backlash, not least due to him admitting that he "still" does not regret being friends with Epstein.
Epstein died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, with officials stating that he committed suicide. The cause of his death, however, remains disputed amid conspiracy theories speculating over whether he was murdered to prevent him from testifying against his high-profile friends, including Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew.
Epstein's ex-girlfriend and alleged accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell is now in a Brooklyn prison awaiting trial on charges of procuring teenage girls for further abuse by the financier. Her trial has since been postponed until autumn, with the 59-year-old earlier pleading not guilty to the sex trafficking charges against her.