PRINCE Andrew could face five bombshell claims during his court battle with his rape accuser Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

A judge has dismissed the Duke of York's attempts to throw out the case after he was sued for allegedly sexually abusing Virginia when she was just 17.

Lawyers for the Duke had argued that Virginia’s civil lawsuit should be dropped based on a previous $500,000 (£371,000) deal signed by her in 2009.

However, Judge Lewis Kaplan in New York has ruled the case will be allowed to proceed.

It is a major blow to Andrew whose reputation is already in tatters over questions over his friendship with multimillionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his twisted lover Ghislaine Maxwell.

Following the ruling, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "We would not comment on what is an ongoing legal matter."

Virginia, now 38, claims she was trafficked by the sick couple to be abused by the Duke after meeting him at a nightclub in London.

It is alleged that she was taken back Ghislaine's townhouse were she was forced to have sex with the Royal, who was aged 41 at the time.

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Virginia claims she was forced to have sex with the prince three times – in London, New York and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island.

Andrew strongly denies all allegations against him – and claims he has no memory of even meeting Virginia.

But here are five bombshell claims that the Duke could face in court.

Nightclub witness

A woman who claimed she saw Andrew dancing with Virginia at Tramp nightclub in London could be called to give evidence.

US lawyer Lisa Bloom – who represents several victims of Epstein – said a woman from London approached her with the claims.

Ms Bloom previously told The Sun: “She says that in 2001 she was at the Tramp nightclub and recalls seeing Prince Andrew.

"It was pointed out to her by a member of her group.

“The woman remembers it vividly. She had never seen a royal before or since. It was a very big moment for her — she stared at him.

“She says he was with Virginia — who looked very young and not happy — but Andrew was smiling and seemed to be very much enjoying himself on the dancefloor."

The duke has denied he was with Virginia at the club – insisting to Newsnight he was at Pizza Express instead.

'Sex' in the bathroom

Virginia has claimed she romped with Andrew in a bath when she was 17, after a night where he had allegedly been plying her with vodka a club in London.

Maxwell had previously said her bath was "too small" for sex.

In a manuscript, Virginia claimed: "It was a beige marble tiled floor with porcelain Victorian-style bathtub in the middle of the room and nowhere near the size of Jeffrey's residences."

She added: "I turned on the taps for the tub and the heat from the water began to steam up the small room.

"Trying to do the best of my youthfulness to try and act seductive, I gradually began to strip off my clothing, piece by piece.

"He loved every second of it as I went over to where he was waiting and watching, then began to undress him.

"We kissed and touched each other before submersing into the hot water, where we both continued to re-enact foreplay."

She said the pair then "retired to my bedchambers for the longest ten minutes of my life".

Photo together

Despite Andrew insisting he has never met his accuser, a photo appears to show them together.

Taken in 2001 when Virginia was 17, the picture appears to show the Duke alongside her, with Maxwell standing to the side.

It was allegedly snapped at Maxwell's townhouse in London.

The three are smiling in the picture, with Andrew's arm around Virginia's waist – with the photo allegedly taken by Epstein.

But in his Newsnight interview, Andrew claimed the photo could have been doctored as he doubled down on claims he never met Virginia.

He claimed he has no memory of going upstairs in Maxwell's house and said the clothes he was wearing in the picture are his "travelling clothes".

Andrew also said he has never seen Epstein with a camera and dismissed the image as a "photograph of a photograph of a photograph”.

'Grope' claim

Epstein’s former personal assistant Johanna Sjoberg has claimed the Duke groped her breast when she was 21 years old while she sat on a sofa with him and Virginia.

Court documents revealed Andrew allegedly touched the Florida hairdresser, 41, as they posed for a picture.

In her testimony in 2016, she said Andrew and Virginia were sat on a couch with a Spitting Image puppet on her lap.

She said: “And so then I sat on Andrew’s lap – and I believe on my own volition – and they took the puppet’s hands and put it on Virginia’s breast, and so Andrew put his on mine.”

Ms Sjoberg alleged the incident happened at the New York home of his deceased paedo pal Epstein, according to court papers.

Epstein's handyman saw 'kiss'

Virginia's lawyers have secured the testimony of Steve Scully, who worked for Epstein.

The paedophile's former handyman has claimed he saw the Duke sexually assaulting Virginia.

Telecoms specialist Scully revealed he saw the Duke of York on Epstein’s “Paedo Island” to 7News in the documentary Spotlight: Sex, Lies and Videotape.

The 71-year-old has insisted he saw the prince on Epstein’s private island and even spoke to him while he was with Virginia.

In an audio recording of Scully he claims: “He [Prince Andrew] removed her bathing suit top and then started grinding against her and grabbing her a**.

"They were kissing as well. Virginia was standing there, she kinda looked like she was like a deer caught in the headlights of the car.”

Scully said they were “bumping and grinding” for several minutes before lying on lounge chairs by the pool.

He previously told The Sun he is willing to give evidence in court.

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