Prince Andrew’s family enjoy the slopes at his £17m Swiss chalet as he prepares for sex abuse court hearing

PRINCESS Beatrice hit the slopes yesterday as she continued her family holiday — while dad Prince Andrew prepared for his US court case.

The 33-year-old was joined by property developer husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi, 38, her mum Sarah, 62, and sister Princess Eugenie, 31, in the exclusive Verbier resort in the Swiss Alps.



Princess Beatrice enjoying a family holiday in Verbier

Sarah Ferguson walked arm-in-arm with Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie at a Swiss ski resort today

Prince Andrew is battling his sex abuse case back home

Princess Beatrice and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Sarah Ferguson former wife of Prince Andrew

Beatrice was today seen lugging ski gear around the luxury resort with her husband as they headed out for the day with Edo’s five-year-old son Christopher Wolfe who is known as Wolfie.

Yesterday mum Fergie and her daughters linked arms as they headed down a hillside road towards the family’s £17.5million chalet.

The group jetted off to the Swiss ski resort on Boxing Day.

But – despite the blue sky and perfect snow conditions – they have not taken to the slopes yet, with Fergie keeping in constant contact with her ex-husband Andrew, sources claim.

Andrew’s sex trafficker pal Ghislaine Maxwell was this week found guilty of helping to entice vulnerable teens to ex-lover Epstein’s properties for him to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004.

She could spend the rest of her life in prison after being convicted of five out of six counts of sex trafficking for vile Epstein’s paedophile ring.

It’s reported Andrew’s lawyers were locked in emergency talks following Maxwell’s guilty verdict amid fears his pal could “name names” in a bid to cut her lengthy prison sentence.

Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she was forced to have sex with Andrew three times between 1999 and 2002 — in ­London, New York and on Epstein’s private Caribbean island.

Ms Giuffre, now 38, has filed a lawsuit against Andrew – after a judge struck out her claims, saying they were “immaterial and impertinent”.

Andrew has always strongly denied all allegations made against him.

And it appears that the Duke of York has his family’s backing – with Sarah Ferguson insisting she “completely stands by Andrew 100 per cent”.

She told Italian talk show Porta a Porta this month: “I completely stand by Andrew 100 per cent.

“He is such a kind, great man, he is a brilliant father and now a fantastic grandfather… 

“I feel very strongly that in this day and age that we must stand by our hearts, what we think is right with integrity and honour and loyalty.”

Just yesterday, a stony-faced Andrew broke his cover for the first time since Maxwell was found guilty.

The duke was snapped leaving his Royal Lodge home to drive to Windsor Castle to have lunch with the Queen.

A New York court will decide on Tuesday if the civil lawsuit against the Duke of York brought by Epstein victim Ms Giuffre can proceed to a trial next year.

A judge yesterday denied a motion from Andrew’s lawyers to halt proceedings while an issue of where Ms Giuffre lives is dealt with.

Earlier this week Andrew’s lawyers had called for the case be stopped because Virginia Giuffre is “actually domiciled in Australia”.

But Judge Lewis Kaplan denied their request, stating that Ms Giuffre’s legal team has previously received “at least one comprehensive request for documents relating to her domicile, to which responses are due, and have been promised, by January 14”.

Oral arguments via a video teleconference on the prince’s request to dismiss the case are scheduled for Monday in the US.

Meanwhile, Ms Giuffre has demanded proof that the royal cannot sweat – and asked for evidence of his mysterious trip to Pizza Express.

BREAKING COVER

Court documents submitted by lawyers for Ms Giuffre reveal they had made eight “discovery” requests of the Duke of York as her lawsuit against him hurtles towards a trial.

Andrew was asked to divulge documents concerning his correspondence with Maxwell and Epstein on topics of abuse or the royal’s “sexual relations with anyone”.

He was also asked to provide any proof he may hold of his visit to Tramp nightclub in London – where Ms Giuffre claims they danced on the night he assaulted her – and his trip to Pizza Express in Woking.

The prince claimed in a disastrous BBC interview that he was at the pizza chain when he was supposed to be with Ms Giuffre.

Another request, from Ms Giuffre’s lawyers, asks for: “All Documents concerning your alleged medical condition of anhidrosis, hypohidrosis, or…your inability to sweat.”

In a court document, submitted on Thursday night, Ms Giuffre’s lead lawyer David Boies blasted Andrew’s responses to the requests – in which he sought to dodge them.

He said: “Based on his discovery responses, Prince Andrew has apparently already determined that he has no documents that would be responsive to the majority of Plaintiff’s requests.

“If Prince Andrew truly has no documents concerning his communications with Maxwell or Epstein, his travel to Florida, New York, or various locations in London, his alleged medical inability to sweat, or anything that would support the alibis he gave during his BBC interview, then continuing with discovery will not be burdensome to him at all.”



Virginia Roberts Giuffre named Andrew in documents related to Epstein filed in Florida in 2015