How Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee Next Year Will Be Marred By Court Case

Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee year will not be all about celebrations and happiness as it will be marred by her son Prince Andrew’s sex assault lawsuit.

The civil case of rape and sexual assault being brought against Andrew by the victim will go ahead at the earliest, reveal documents filed in the US, reported Daily Mail.

All disclosures and depositions should be completed before July 2022, judge Lewis Kaplan ruled. This means the court drama will go on as people prepare to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne. The celebrations will last throughout the year and will have senior royals, barring Andrew, traveling around the UK and abroad.

The victim claimed that after being trafficked by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, she was sexually assaulted by the 61-year-old royal thrice when she was underage though Andrew denied the allegations. After filing a civil lawsuit in August accusing the Duke of York of "rape in the first degree," the woman, now 38, is seeking unspecified damages, reported The Sun.

Andrew has to respond to the allegations by Friday, with his legal team promising to "dismantle" the allegations in complete detail. After Dec. 15, no additional parties will be allowed to join the case.

The Metropolitan Police said earlier this month that it was taking no action over the claims made by the woman.

In a November 2019 interview, Andrew denied claims that he slept with her on three separate occasions and said, "I can absolutely categorically tell you it never happened."

The case is likely to overshadow Queen Elizabeth’s platinum jubilee year celebration -- a program of public events will combine traditional pageantry with advanced technological displays. In the coming months, more details about these events will be revealed. There will be a fly-past in the Queen’s honor, and the British Royal Family members will be seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Meanwhile, the Queen has been advised by doctors to rest, so she has not been able to go for her daily walk with her dogs for almost a week. The 95-year-old monarch has been taking doctors' orders to rest seriously after she was recently taken to a hospital for "preliminary investigations," said sources.