According to multiple news reports, Prince Andrew must answer questions under oath in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault by the middle of July next year, signaling the judge's willingness to move the case forward after a month-long dispute over whether the royal had been served with the necessary court papers.

According to numerous news agencies, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan ordered Prince Andrew to be questioned under oath by July 14, 2022, in a civil sex assault action brought by Virginia Giuffre, which Andrew denies.

The scheduling order was agreed upon by attorneys for both Prince Andrew and Giuffre, and it states that no new parties may be added to the lawsuit after December 15.

According to Reuters, the Royal has until October 29 to formally answer to Giuffre's action, and a court hearing is planned for November 3.

Giuffre's legal claim in the United States alleges several sexual assaults against Prince Andrew when she was 17 and seeks unspecified damages. Giuffre initially accused Prince Andrew of sexual abuse in 2015, tying him to the late Jeffrey Epstein, a disgraced businessman and registered sex offender who committed suicide in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

The deadline may cause Prince Andrew's legal case to coincide with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee festivities, which will celebrate Elizabeth II's 70th year on the throne.