Queen Elizabeth II’s second-eldest sonPrince Andrew was sued by Virginia Giuffre in the summer of 2021; she alleged that the Duke of York had sexually assaulted her at the age of 17 when she was being trafficked by late billionaire financier and pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, and the royal has tried and failed to have her case thrown out. On Feb. 15, 2022, a new court filing reveals that Prince Andrew has agreed to reach an out-of-court settlement in this case, avoiding trial, and that he has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to Giuffre’s choice of charity. The filing also reveals that Andrew is finally attempting to land on the right side of history when it comes to his Epstein association.
Giuffre’s attorney David Boies submitted a request to the court to place the case on hold, along with a statement detailing how the royal approached this settlement.
“Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement. The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms. Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed),” the statement read. “Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation [to a charity] in support of victims’ rights.”
Prince Andrew’s civil case continues to major impacts on the Royal family. https://t.co/d0fMGwHTLI
— SheKnows (@SheKnows) January 6, 2022
“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 statement continued, perhaps referencing Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2016 deposition in which she called Giuffre an “absolute liar” and “awful fantasist,” per ABC News, a view that was only bolstered by Andrew’s 2019 BBC interview denying he’d ever interacted with Giuffre.
Notably, Andrew also acknowledged that “Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years” and that he himself “regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”
While Andrew of course isn’t admitting culpability here, his settlement and the accompanying statement are perhaps a sign that the royal realizes nothing good will come from doing anything other than trying to make amends to wounded parties. The royal family has already recognized their need to sever ties from him, and though ex-wife Sarah Ferguson stands by his side whenever she’s given the opportunity, it doesn’t seem he’ll be welcomed back into public life any time soon. Whatever the financial details of this settlement are, we hope the outcome brings Giuffre some peace.
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