10th September, 2021
Prince Andrew, son of Queen Elizabeth has been served at his home in Britain with the paperwork for the sexual assault lawsuit filed by his accuser Virginia Roberts.
The case was filed in a New York court and there had been problems about how he would be served since he does not live in the United States.
The Mail Online has now reported that the Prince, who is the Duke of York was served in his home in Windsor, England on August 27.
An agent working on behalf of Virginia Roberts, who claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17, handed them over to police officers at the property.
The agent had tried the day before but was rebuffed and told that staff had been ‘primed’ not to accept any documents, the court papers state.
When the agent returned the next day, the police officers at the gate of Royal Lodge, Andrew’s official residence, changed their mind and allowed him to leave the paperwork.
Service of the papers starts the clock ticking for Andrew to respond or face a default judgement, the Mail reported.
Normally defendants have 21 days to respond but a judge may extend that given that the Duke is not in the US.
The development comes ahead of the first hearing in the case which is set for Monday when Andrew’s lawyers could identify themselves for the first time.
Roberts, an alleged victim of convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, claims the prince sexually assaulted her at Epstein’s mansion when she was 17 – below the age of consent in the US.