Alleged Sexual Abuse: Prince Andrew Opts for Out-Of-Court Settlement With Giuffre

 

Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom has settled a lawsuit filed in the United States by Virginia Giuffre accusing him of sexually assaulting her as a teenager.

The out-of-court settlement potentially spares him further embarrassment in a lurid case that helped precipitate his fall from grace.

The settlement, which includes an undisclosed payment, was revealed on Tuesday in a filing in Manhattan federal court, where Giuffre had sued the Duke of York last August.

The prince did not admit wrongdoing in the settlement.

Giuffre’s case had focused on Andrew’s friendship with the late Jeffrey Epstein, the financier and sex offender who she said also sexually abused her.

The filing said Andrew regrets his past association with Epstein.

In the joint filing, lawyers for Giuffre, 38, and Andrew, 61, said their settlement in principle calls for the prince to make a “substantial donation” to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.

“Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks,” the filing said.

Andrew has denied accusations that he forced Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, to have sex at age 17 more than two decades ago at the London home of Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s mansion in Manhattan and Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A trial in the case had been expected to begin late this year. Andrew would have had to give testimony under oath.

“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years,” the filing said.

“Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.

“He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”

The statement represented a marked departure from a 2019 BBC interview in which Andrew, who is Queen Elizabeth’s second son, failed to show sympathy toward Epstein’s victims and refused to apologize for his friendship with the financier.

The royal family in January removed Andrew’s military titles and royal patronages and said he will no longer be known as “His Royal Highness.”

Andrew was defending against Giuffre’s lawsuit as a private citizen. For now, his legal exposure in the United States to similar claims appears to be over.