The US District Judge Lewis Kaplan has rejected a bid by Prince Andrew to dismiss Virginia Giuffre's civil lawsuit, which accuses him of raping her when she was 17.
The ruling means that the royal will face a civil trial in the US.
It was premature to consider Prince Andrew's efforts to question Giuffre's accusations but he would be allowed to do so at trial, the judge said, quoted by Reuters. He reportedly added that the trial could begin late this year.
Earlier this month, a New York court unsealed a confidential deal reached between the late convicted paedophile Epstein and Virginia Giuffre in 2009. According to the deal, Giuffre was paid $500,000 for agreeing not to sue anyone connected to Epstein who could be viewed as a "potential defendant." Although the settlement does not mention the duke by name, his lawyers say this deal means that Giuffre can't sue him. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied Giuffre's allegations and claims he has never met the woman.