According to a Tuesday legal filing, Prince Andrew reached a settlement with a woman who claims she was 17 years old when she was abused sexually by the British royal.
This move was made more than a month following the rejection by U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan of the Southern District of New York Andrew’s requestto dismiss an federal lawsuit brought to him by Virginia Giuffre.
“Virginia Giuffre has reached an out-of-court settlement with Prince Andrew,” David Boies (Giuffre’s lawyer) stated in a letter to the court.
“The parties will file an agreed dismissal upon receipt by Ms. Giuffre of the settlement (the amount of which is not being revealed).
Giuffre claims she was trafficked to Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender, and his recently convicted confidant Ghislaine Maxwell.
Andrew stated in the letter that he would make “substantial” donations to Giuffre’s victims group and that he had “never intended” to denigrate her character.
The letter says that Jeffrey Epstein has been known to have trafficked many young girls over the years. “Prince Andrew regrets his association to Epstein and commends Ms. Giuffre’s bravery in standing up for others and themselves,” the letter states. He will express his regret at his association with Epstein and support the fight against sex trafficking and its victims.
Andrew’s representative declined to comment on the most recent developments.
Unofficial from Buckingham Palace also declined to comment. He stated that “It’s a matter for Duke and his legal staff.”
Giuffre, who is now living in Australia, claims that Epstein and Maxwell made her have sex in the 1990s with Andrew while she was still underage. This allegation has been repeatedly denied by Maxwell and the prince.
Epstein also hanged himself in 2019 in Manhattan.
Andrew tried several times, through his lawyers, to stop Giuffre from suing him.
They tried to argue the suit should be dismissed as Giuffre is no longer living in the United States , but Kaplan disagreed.
Andrew’s lawyers then released details about a legal settlement where she received $500,000 from Epstein, and decided not to pursue any legal action.
Kaplan stated that the prince’s attempts to establish the settlement were premature.
Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would no more use the style “His royal highness” for any official role the day following the ruling.
It stated that “The Duke of York will not continue to assume any public duties” and was defending the case as a private citizen.
