The Duke of York is being sued by Virginia Giuffre - who claims she had sex with the prince three times after she had been trafficked by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew, 61, has always denied the claims - with his lawyer calling them “baseless”.

       In the case’s latest development, a 2009 agreement signed between Ms Giuffre and Epstein was made public yesterday.

       In it, she was paid $500,000 (￡370,000) for signing away her right to take him to court again.

       The agreement, made public by New York judge Lewis A. Kaplan as part of Ms Giuffre’s case against the prince, contains wording that exempts anyone connected to the billionaire financier - who killed himself in prison while awaiting trial for sexual offences in 2019.

       As part of the settlement, Ms Giuffre agreed not to take legal action against “any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant ('Other Potential Defendants') from all, and all manner of, action and actions”.

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       Andrew’s legal team have jumped on this wording - claiming it gives the Queen’s second son “strong legal grounds” to dismiss the case.

       Judge Kaplan is expected to make a ruling on the merits of this argument today - leaving many waiting with bated breath to see if the case progresses.

       Legal experts are split on the likely success of this argument.

       And even if the judge rules in his favour, being characterised as a “potential defendant” carries its own risks, Amber Melville-Brown, a reputation specialist at London law firm Withersworldwide, said.

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       She added: “While a court might accept the release releases Prince Andrew from legal liability, no release could hope to release him from the likely lasting damage done to his reputation by his very association with it.”

       Nick Goldstone, head of dispute resolution at international law firm Ince, was more critical and said the settlement is unlikely to help Andrew.

       This is because the section in which Ms Giuffre agreed to release any claims she “ever had or now have” does not include future claims such as the ones she is currently pursuing.

       Mr Goldstone added: “It ... doesn't give the prince a get out of jail free card.”

       Media lawyer Mark Stephens said Andrew’s argument had “real merit”.

       Appearing on Sky News, he added: “On the face of it, it looks like there is a release here for Prince Andrew.

       “I think this is one of Prince Andrew's better days in court.

       “I think Virginia's lawyers will be quite worried by what the terms of the agreement say.

       “This is probably his best chance of getting out [of this case] but I suspect not before an appeal.”