As his family focuses on climate change, Prince Andrew will spend the week consumed by the sexual assault case brought against him by Cairns resident Virginia Giuffre. On Friday, lawyers for the royal filed his defence to claims he raped Giuffre when she was underage at the arrangement of disgraced businessman Jeffrey Epstein. The submission says she has instigated a “baseless” lawsuit to “achieve another payday”. That’s a reference to a secret 2009 settlement agreement between Giuffre and Epstein. Andrew’s lawyers have also claimed that Giuffre was involved in procuring underage girls for Epstein as part of a sex trafficking ring – a strategy critics say will see him accused of victim-blaming. The next court hearing on the matter is due mid this week.