Prince Andrew has avoided another sex assault trial after a woman who accused him of wrongdoing missed a deadline to file her claim.
Johanna Sjoberg, who has accused the Duke of York and paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her, had until a month ago to file a case against the royal, the Mirror reports.
There was concern that the King's eldest brother could face another lawsuit similar filed by another of Epstein's victim, Virginia Roberts Guiffre, which ended with her receiving a reported £12million out-of-court settlement.
The prince will no longer face a new lawsuit after Ms Sjoberg did not file a motion in time in the United States, with sources close to the Duke saying he is 'mightily relieved' and wants to rebuild his image.
However, it might not be the end of the ordeal for the Duke of York over his associations with Epstein, who killed himself in prison in 2019.
Material relating to Ms Sjoberg and other women who accused Epstein of abuse is set to be made public, with 170 people linked to the disgraced financier to be named in court.
Ms. Sjoberg has previously claimed the King's brother put his hand on her breast at the Manhattan home of multi-millionaire paedophile Epstein in 2001.
She alleged this happened during an incident in which a latex Spitting Image puppet of the Duke of York – a present from Epstein's then-lover Ghislaine Maxwell – was used to touch the breast of Virginia Roberts.
Ms. Roberts, who now uses her married name Giuffre, claimed that afterwards she and Andrew slept together at Epstein's house.
The duke paid a reported £12million settlement to Ms Roberts in 2022 over her claims that he sexually assaulted her when she was 17, which he has always denied.
