Ms Nathan also ruled that the defence would not be allowed to make mention of a previous non-prosecution agreement struck by Ms Maxwell’s former boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein, in Florida more than a decade earlier.

Epstein scored a so-called “sweetheart” deal that let him avoid federal prosecution on sex-trafficking charges in exchange for pleading guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges in Florida and registering as a sex offender.

The deal he signed was designed to also shield those around him – though it did not identify Ms Maxwell, his longtime confidante, or any others by name.

Judge Nathan ruled that it was inadmissible in court, as was the defence’s reference to the fact she was not charged alongside Epstein in 2008 but did not face charges until after the financier’s death in August 2019.

The decision not to charge her in 2008 was of “limited value” and was “not relevant to the jury’s decision now,” said Ms Nathan, who said the agreement in Florida did not cover federal prosecutions brought in New York.

Prince Andrew has fought to unseal the non-prosecution agreement, arguing that it granted him immunity from legal action.

The Duke is being sued in New York by Virginia Giuffre, who alleges he sexually assaulted her at the direction of Epstein and Ms Maxwell in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Prince Andrew has denied the allegations.

Jury selection in the Maxwell case is scheduled to begin on Thursday, starting with a recently disclosed questionnaire that will question candidates on their familiarity with the case and their experience with matters involving sexual trauma.

There will be an initial pool of 600 prospective jurors, which will then be whittled down by Judge Nathan.