Prince Andrew's Ex-Wife May Be Subpoenaed in Sex Abuse Case to Confirm His 'Pizza Express' Alibi

© AFP 2023 / IAN NICHOLSONPrincess Beatrice (C) poses for photograph with her parents, Britain's Prince Andrew, the Duke York (L) and Sarah Ferguson following her graduation
Princess Beatrice (C) poses for photograph with her parents, Britain's Prince Andrew, the Duke York (L) and Sarah Ferguson following her graduation - Sputnik International, 1920, 03.10.2021
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One of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sex slaves Virginia Giuffre has accused the Duke of York of sexually assaulting her. She claims he had sex with her at least three times without her consent, including when she was underage. The royal has vehemently denied the accusations.
Prince Andrew's ex-wife Sarah Ferguson is likely to be subpoenaed should the royal's lawyers fail to get the sex abuse case against him thrown out of court, The Sunday Telegraph has reported. Bradley Simon, a former federal prosecutor in New York, where Virginia Giuffre filed her civil lawsuit, told the newspaper that if the case reaches the discovery stage, the Duke of York will face a very "intrusive" process.

"They're going to ask for a kitchen sink. They're going to seek every correspondence, phone logs, emails, diaries. They're going to go after people who were with him. It's going to be open season", Simon told The Sunday Telegraph.

Sarah Ferguson's testimony is crucial to the case as Prince Andrew mentioned her when he brushed off the allegations against him. In the 2019 interview with the BBC, during which Prince Andrew tried to explain his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and address the accusations against him, the Duke of York said that he was with his children on the day Mrs Giuffre suggests the sexual intercourse occurred.

"That couldn't have happened because the date being suggested — the 10th of March — I was at home with the children. I'd taken Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking for a party at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon. And then because the Duchess [Sarah Ferguson] was away, we have a simple rule in the family that when one is away the other is there", he said.

Close relatives and aides could also be dragged into the case the former prosecutor suggested without elaborating whether this means that senior members of the Royal Family such as heir to the throne Prince Charles could testify in court.

Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Sarah Ferguson previously defended her ex-spouse, describing the accusations against Prince Andrew as "nonsense".
"To see such a wonderful man go through such enormous pain… He is the best man I know. It's just incredible what he has done for Britain", she said in 2019 after the sex scandal entered the media spotlight.

In August, Ferguson said she is "100 percent" sure that Prince Andrew has been telling the truth about his part in the sex abuse case. "I want him [Andrew] to come through this. I want him to win", she said.

When pressed on why she is so certain about the royal's alibi, the Duchess said the following: "No question. I know everything about him. I think he is an extraordinary person".

Bradley Simon is less optimistic about the case, saying that the 61-year-old is stuck "between a rock and a hard place".

"His options are somewhat limited. I think the best course of action for him would be to settle quietly, but it seems like the plaintiffs want to have a big public spectacle here so it may not be that he could settle", he said.

The Duke of York's lawyers previously claimed that a 2009 settlement between Jeffrey Epstein and Virginia Giuffre protects the royal "from any and all liability". However, Mrs Giuffre's lawyers insist that the papers are "irrelevant" to the case.

Prince Andrew's legal team has until 29 October to respond to the lawsuit. According to The Sunday Telegraph, a remote hearing has been scheduled for 3 November.
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