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01st Jan 2022

Prince Andrew: Giuffre lawyers seek evidence of royal’s claimed inability to sweat

Simon Bland

They have also requested details about his visit to “a Pizza Express located in Woking, England”

Lawyers representing the US woman who has accused Prince Andrew of sexual assault have requested evidence of his infamous claim that he’s unable to sweat.

Virgina Giuffre, 38, has alleged that the British royal assaulted her at the home of disgraced American financier, Jeffrey Epstein, and his partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, back when she was a teenager and then named Virginia Roberts.

Prince Andrew has denied all allegations – despite a photograph circulating that appears to show the pair standing next to one another.

During the much-talked-about 2019 interview where the Duke of York sat down with BBC Newsnight host, Emily Maitlis, to discuss these claims, Prince Andrew detailed a “problem” with Giuffre’s version of events based upon a medical condition which, at the time, meant that he was unable to sweat.

Giuffre’s allegations referenced the fact that the Prince was sweating during their alleged encounter while dancing.

“I have a peculiar medical condition which is that I don’t sweat… or I didn’t sweat at the time,” he told Maitlis during their interview.

“I had suffered what I would describe as an overdose of adrenaline in the Falklands war when I was shot at,” he continued, suggesting that it was “simply impossible for me to sweat.”

Now, US lawyers representing Virginia Guiffre have requested “all documents concerning [Prince Andrew’s] alleged medical condition of anhidrosis, hypohidrosis, or your inability to sweat,” – as reported by the BBC.

Prince Andrew’s lawyers have since responded, saying that no such documentation exists.

They also described the request as objectionable “on the grounds that it is harassing and seeks confidential and private information and documents that are irrelevant, immaterial and not reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence”.

This news comes shortly after Epstein’s former partner Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of five sex trafficking charges involving underage girls – a sentence that sees her facing decades behind bars.

Guiffre’s lawyers have also requested details of all of Prince Andrew’s communications with Epstein, information regarding the trips he took on Epstein’s private planes, and details about his visit to “a Pizza Express located in Woking, England” on the night Guiffre alleges they had sex in London.

Convicted sex offender, Epstein, committed suicide while in prison awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019.

A request to pause the proceedings levelled against Prince Andrew was recently rejected by an American judge. Ms Guiffre is currently living in Australia which the Royal’s lawyers argued may disqualify her from seeking justice in a US court – however a judge dismissed this claim also.

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