Prince Andrew, the son of Queen Elizabeth II, has reached a settlement with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a woman he accuses of having had sex with her when she was a minor, lawyers for the case announced on Tuesday.
The Duke of York, who renounced his military titles in the UK following the whistleblowing, reportedly made an out-of-court settlement with Giuffre, the full amount of which was not disclosed, and pledged to make a substantial donation to the charity she runs. who now lives in Australia.
The document also says, according to the British network BBC, that Andrew “never intended to defame the character of Giuffre” and that he recognizes that she suffered both as a victim of abuse and as “unjust public attacks” that she was the target of.
A sexual relationship with Giuffre was reportedly offered to the prince by billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in a US prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors and criminal conspiracy to traffic minors to exploit them.
According to attorney David Boies, for the prosecution, both parties have informed the judge in charge of the case that an interim agreement has been signed and that they therefore request the dismissal of the case. They ask the magistrate to suspend the action brought by Giuffre.
The settlement comes just weeks after Andrew was summoned to testify and questioned by prosecutors. The US trial was expected to take place later this year. He has not admitted to any of the allegations made by the 38-year-old.
Even so, in the document made public this Tuesday, it is possible to notice an unusual tone adopted by the prince. In the text, the defense says it is public knowledge that Jeffrey Epstein has trafficked countless young women over many years and that Prince Andrew regrets his association with the billionaire and praises the courage of Giuffre and other survivors to defend themselves in court.
For years, the son of Queen Elizabeth II maintained a close relationship with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, the American’s ex-girlfriend who, in late 2021, was convicted by the US Court on five counts of recruiting young people and helping the investor to abuse. from them.
In the lawsuit, which it appears to be closed, Giuffre alleges that Andrew had sex when she was 17. The abuse allegedly took place at Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan and on a billionaire’s island. It also says that Andrew, Epstein and Maxwell forced Giuffre to have sex with the prince in a mansion in London.
Describing Giuffre as courageous contrasts with terms used a few months ago by the prince’s lawyers. When they asked a US court to drop the case — which the claim was denied — they claimed that it was an unfounded case and that she was organizing a long-standing effort to cash in on the allegations.
In an interview with the BBC in 2019, in an attempt to minimize the accusations, with a result that was the opposite of what was expected, Andrew also adopted another behavior. Asked whether he regretted his relationship with Epstein, which continued even after the businessman served prison time for soliciting a minor, he replied: “Do I regret the fact that he so obviously behaved in an unseemly manner? Yes.”
“Indecorous?” retorted the interviewer, in an incredulous tone. “He was a sex offender.” The prince quickly backtracked, saying, “Yes, I’m sorry, I’m being polite. I mean in the sense that he was a sex offender.” Andrew also couldn’t explain a photo taken in London, which apparently shows him with his arm around the teenager’s uncovered waist, with Ghislaine Maxwell smiling in the background.
Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing eight women who accuse Epstein in different lawsuits, signed the settlement on social media. She claimed that Giuffre managed to get Andrew to put false allegations aside and side with abuse victims. “We salute Virginia’s impressive courage,” the message reads.
The scandal involving Andrew was one of those weighing on Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, when the queen kicked off celebrations for her 70th year of reign earlier this month.
When the scandal escalated in 2019, he made the decision to no longer make public commitments in the name of the monarchy. Pressure for the prince to withdraw from the activities of the British royal family came not only from the public but also from the Armed Forces. More recently, after the publication of an open letter in which more than 150 veterans were annoyed and asked the Queen to strip Andrew of his military duties, he relinquished his titles.
The prince served in the Royal Navy for two decades, including as a helicopter pilot during the Falklands war against Argentina in 1982. Honorary positions he lost include several abroad, such as a title of colonel in chief of the Royal Army’s logistical regiment. from New Zealand.
Buckingham Palace and Andrew’s representatives did not respond on Tuesday for comment on the deal announcement.
