Virginia Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, has accused the Duke of York of "sexual assault and battery" on three separate occasions in London and the US when she was 17.

Andrew vehemently denies the allegations, with his lawyers describing them as "baseless" and suggesting his accuser may suffer from "false memories".

His legal team have now also published a detailed document outlining his defence.

Here, Sky News looks at who's who in the Giuffre-Andrew case and who has been called as witnesses.

Accuser

Virginia Giuffre

Virginia Giuffre, now 38, was known as Virginia Roberts at the time she alleges she was the victim of "sexual assault and battery" at the hands of Prince Andrew.

She met Ghislaine Maxwell in 2000 in Florida, where she grew up. Ms Giuffre alleges Maxwell recruited her for her boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking operation.

Ms Giuffre, who was 17 at the time, claims she was flown to London in 2001 and made to have sex with Prince Andrew after a night out at Tramp nightclub in Mayfair.

A now-famous photograph of the pair together at Maxwell's Belgravia home is alleged to have been taken on that night.

She also claims the same thing happened at Epstein's New York mansion and private Caribbean island Little St James.

Ms Giuffre was referenced several times in Maxwell's sex trafficking trial last year but was not one of the four victims who gave evidence.

She signed a confidential agreement with Epstein in 2009 that saw him give her $500,000 in exchange for immunity from prosecution.

Prince Andrew's legal team tried to use it to get her latest lawsuit thrown out as it said "any other person" should not face future litigation, but the argument was thrown out by the judge.

Defendant

Prince Andrew

The Duke of York, 61, is not facing criminal charges, but is instead facing a civil lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

In his 2019 Newsnight interview, Andrew denied ever meeting Ms Giuffre and said that on the night she claims the first assault took place, he took his daughter Princess Beatrice to a Pizza Express in Woking before returning home.

He also said he could not be sure the photo of the pair of them had not been edited.

Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations against him, with the most recently revealed court documents claiming Ms Giuffre may suffer from "false memories".

His team argue this is evidenced by the fact that "the circumstances under which (he) allegedly assaulted her have repeatedly changed over the years".

They claim the lawsuit is "in an effort to deflect from her own participation" in Epstein's scheme.

Andrew is not facing any legal action in the UK. The Metropolitan Police reviewed a document in the US civil case, but in October 2021 the force said that had been completed.

The US lawsuit is being brought under legislation in New York that allows victims of alleged child abuse to launch cases long after the normal legal window for prosecution.

Jeffrey Epstein

Prince Andrew told BBC Newsnight in 2019 that he met Jeffrey Epstein in 1999 through their mutual friend Ghislaine Maxwell.

This was reiterated in his recent legal defence document, which says they met "in or around 1999".

In the now-famous 2019 Newsnight interview he admitted to flying on Epstein's private plane, staying on his private island and inviting him to both Windsor Castle and Sandringham.

Epstein, a billionaire financier, was charged with soliciting prostitution from underage girls in 2008 and served a short prison sentence after negotiating a plea deal.

Andrew confirmed he stayed at Epstein's New York mansion for several days in 2010 - after his conviction - but told the BBC it was when he cut ties with him. "It was a convenient place to stay," he said.

His legal defence in the Giuffre case states it is not true that he was a "frequent guest in Epstein's various homes around the world".

It also claims that Ms Giuffre's civil lawsuit against him is void due to the $500,000 agreement she made with Epstein in 2009. This argument was previously thrown out by the judge.

Epstein, 66, killed himself in August 2019 after being arrested again the previous month on suspicion of further sex trafficking offences.

Ghislaine Maxwell

The daughter of the late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine lived, worked and travelled with Jeffrey Epstein through the 1990s and early 2000s.

They are believed to have dated in 1991, but stayed close after the break-up, after which she began recruiting underage girls for him.

She is believed to have met Virginia Giuffre in Florida in 2000, when she is alleged to have trafficked her for Epstein.

Ms Giuffre has never formally taken legal action against Maxwell, but she was referenced several times in the socialite's trial last year.

Her London home is where Ms Giuffre alleges the first sexual assault by Prince Andrew took place and she appears in the background of a photograph thought to have been taken that night.

Following her ex-boyfriend's death in 2019, she was arrested at her New Hampshire home by the FBI and jailed in New York.

After a trial she was last year convicted of multiple counts of sex trafficking underage girls for Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s.

She faces decades in prison as she awaits sentencing.

Witnesses for Andrew

Robert Giuffre

Prince Andrew's legal team has requested to hear evidence from Virginia Giuffre's husband Robert from Australia where the couple live.

Court documents claim that Mr Giuffre is likely to have information about his wife's "alleged emotional and psychological harm".

They want to question him about her relationship to Epstein and Maxwell and any role she may have had "recruiting underage girls" for Epstein.

Prince Andrew's lawyer says Mr Giuffre met his wife in Thailand in 2002 while she was training to be a massage therapist - at Epstein's expense.

His legal team allege she was involved in "recruiting one or more women to perform sexual acts for Jeffrey Epstein - who funded the trip".

Dr Judith Lightfoot

The other witness sought by Prince Andrew's side is Dr Judith Lightfoot, Virginia Giuffre's psychologist.

His legal team says she has "relevant information" about Ms Giuffre's "alleged abuse by Epstein and Maxwell, childhood abuse and trauma, and claimed emotional and psychological harm and damages".

Melissa Lerner, Andrew's Los Angeles-based lawyer, says that "Dr Lightfoot's records (or lack thereof) reflecting (Ms Giuffre's) allegations against (Andrew) is relevant to preparation of his defence for trial".

The duke's lawyers want her "opinion" on Ms Giuffre's emotional state and any "theory of false memories".

Court papers request notes from "all sessions" with Ms Giuffre, as well as any prescriptions she issued.

Dr Lightfoot is also resident in Australia and is being asked to provide testimony from there by 29 April.

Witnesses for Virginia Giuffre

Shukri Walker

Virginia Giuffre's legal team has requested evidence from a woman called Shukri Walker.

She claims to have seen Prince Andrew "with a young girl" at Tramp nightclub in London "around the time that [the] plaintiff contends he abused her in London" after visiting the venue.

Court documents state: "Because Prince Andrew has denied ever meeting [the] plaintiff or being at Tramp nightclub during the relevant time period, Ms Walker's testimony is highly relevant".

Ms Walker's lawyer is Lisa Bloom, who has also represented several of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims.

Ms Bloom previously told The Guardian that Ms Walker "remembers the night clearly because she never saw a royal before or since".

Ms Walker has been requested to submit evidence through a deposition to the Royal Courts of London.

Robert Olney

Ms Giuffre's lawyers have also requested evidence from Robert Olney, who previously worked as Prince Andrew's equerry - or assistant.

Court documents state: "Plaintiff has reason to believe that Mr Olney has relevant information about Prince Andrew's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, as Mr Olney's name appears in publicly available copies of Epstein's phone book (or 'Black Book')."

The "black book" also contained the details of a string of high-profile figures, including Prince Andrew, former US President Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

He would also have to submit a deposition in London.

Lawyer for Virginia Giuffre

David Boies

Virginia Giuffre's lawyer is David Boies, once listed in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.

He made his name in three major cases.

Mr Boies led the US federal government's successful prosecution against Microsoft in 2001.

He also represented Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in his case against George W Bush over a recount of Florida's vote in the 2000 election, which ultimately failed.

And he invalidated Proposition 8 that banned same-sex marriage in California in the case Hollingsworth v Perry in 2009.

He has previously represented Harvey Weinstein and alleged victims of convicted Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes.

Lawyer for Andrew

Andrew Brettler

Prince Andrew is being represented by Hollywood lawyer Andrew Brettler.

Based in Los Angeles, Mr Brettler is best known for representing several celebrities accused of sexual assault.

Recently he defended actor Armie Hammer who was investigated over claims he raped a woman during their four-year relationship, which he denied.

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) concluded its nine-month probe in December and has submitted its evidence to the District Attorney's Office.

His other clients include comedian Chris D'Elia, who in 2020 was accused of sexual harassment, grooming and soliciting nude pictures of underage girls. He denied the allegations, which were later withdrawn by the claimant.

Mr Brettler also defended singer-songwriter Ryan Adams, who was accused of engaging in sexual communications with an underage fan. The FBI investigation was dropped after the fan admitted lying about their age.

The lawyer has claimed that the emergence of the Me Too movement has created an "assumption of wrongdoing based on an accusation, even an anonymous one".

On the Andrew case he is working with fellow California-based lawyer Melissa Lerner and their counterpart in the UK - Gary Bloxsome of Blackfords law firm.