Prince Andrew’s rape accuser won’t give evidence at Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial

PRINCE Andrew will avoid being thrust into the spotlight at Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial tomorrow.

Maxwell, 59, will face four alleged victims in the dock, but the Duke’s rape accuser will not be one of them.

Virginia Giuffre — who says she was recruited by Maxwell for Jeffrey Epstein’s child sex gang and sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew — won’t give evidence to the court in New York.

Her lawyer David Boies told The Sun On Sunday that she won’t be attending court even to observe — instead hoping to see “justice done” from afar.

He said: “The one thing we don’t want to do, is do something that throws this trial off track — or give Maxwell’s attorneys any excuse to do anything.

"If you’re there in court, it’s so much harder not to say something. We’ll just have to sit back, light a candle and send positive messages.”

Prince Andrew vehemently denies her allegations.

Maxwell is facing 80 years in jail on six charges, including sex trafficking of a minor.

She is the first person to face a jury over charges linked to Epstein, who killed himself in jail in 2019 to avoid justice.

It emerged in court this week that two of the four victims due to give testimony against her were actually over the age of consent, according to local laws.

Maxwell is accused of grooming a 17-year-old in London — above the UK age of consent — urging her to massage Epstein knowing he would engage in sexual activity with her.

And victim Annie Farmer is alleged to have been brought to Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico aged 16, which was then the US state’s age of consent.