Prince Andrew served lawsuit in the U.S. - lawyers
Britain's Prince Andrew has been served in the United States with a civil lawsuit by a woman who has accused him of sexual assault.
In a filing with the U.S. District Court in Manhatten, lawyers for Virginia Guiffre said they sent the lawsuit to the prince's Los Angeles-based lawyer via email and FedEx.
Under federal rules, the Duke of York now has 21 days to respond or face default judgement.
Virginia Guiffre has accused the Queen's second son of forcing her to have sex when she was underage in London. She alleges it happened at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell - a longtime associate of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
She also claims the Duke abused her on Epstein's private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands and in his mansion on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Maxwell, herself, is facing charges that she helped recruit and groom underage girls for Epstein to abuse. She has pleaded not guilty.
Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Prince Andrew and his lawyers have strongly denied the allegations against him.
His legal team have previously contested whether he has been officially notified about the claims against him.
Giuffre is seeking unspecified damages under New York's Child Victims Act.
The 2019 law gives survivors of childhood sexual abuse a window to sue their alleged abusers over conduct that occurred many years or decades earlier.
