Witness to testify that Prince Andrew was with ‘young girl’ at London nightclub

Shukri Walker ‘has bravely stepped forward’ as witness and encourages others who may have information to do so says lawyer

A woman who claims she saw Prince Andrew with “young girl” Virginia Giuffre at a London nightclub is willing to testify in court, her lawyer has confirmed.

A US federal judge has given the green light to Ms Giuffre, now 38, to pursue a civil lawsuit against the Duke of York. She claims she was coerced into having a sexual relationship with the prince when she was 17-years-old, after being trafficked Jeffrey Epstein and  Ghislaine Maxwell. The duke denies the allegation.

“I am proud to represent Shukri Walker, who has bravely stepped forward as a witness and encourages others who may have information to do so as well,” said lawyer Lisa Bloom in a statement to The Independent. Ms Bloom has represented six alleged victims of Epstein, plus clients who brought claims against Bill Crosby, Bill O’Reilly, and Donald Trump.

Ms Walker “is willing to do the deposition Virginia Giuffre’s team is seeking” Ms Bloom said.

The information could be relevant as Prince Andrew has denied ever meeting Virginia Giuffre, or being at a London nightclub around the time of the alleged incident.

Prince Andrew claimed in a BBC Newsnight interview that on 10 March he was not in Tramp nightclub but “at home” after visiting Pizza Express in Woking, with his daughter, Beatrice.

“My client says she was there and she remembers the night clearly because she never saw a royal before or since,” Ms Bloom previously said to The Guardian.

According to Ms Bloom, Ms Walker is a trafficking victim herself. She wants “everyone to know that sex trafficking is real, ongoing and devastating”, said Ms Bloom. All the details of her interactions with the prince, Maxwell and Epstein were given to the FBI to aid their investigations.

Paedophile Epstein, 66, was convicted in 2008 of procuring a child for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute, he killed himself while awaiting trial in 2019 for the sex trafficking of minors.

Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in December of recruiting and grooming teenage girls for sexual encounters with Epstein.

Prince Andrew no longer performs royal duties and this week the Queen stripped him of his military titles and royal patronages. He will no longer be referred to as “His Royal Highness”.