Prince Andrew reaches settlement with Virginia Giuffre

Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre have reached a settlement according to a joint letter sent to a New York court from the parties’ lawyers on Tuesday, February 15, 2022. It has been alleged that Prince Andrew and his team have reportedly settled out of court for $22.7 million.

According to the letter, both parties have come to a mutual agreement and intend to file for the case to be dismissed within 30 days.

The settlement will see Prince Andrew make a substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity Victims Refuse Silence which advocates for victims’ rights. The Prince had previously submitted a motion to win a premature dismissal of the lawsuit but had been denied by a US judge.

According to the joint statement, both parties acknowledge that Jeffrey Epstein was a perpetrator of long-term sex trafficking and that Prince Andrew respects Ms Giuffre’s bravery in coming forward as a victim.

“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 letter said.

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

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

The settlement will avoid a trial that is likely to have caused further damage and embarrassment to the monarchy which has already suffered greatly from the scandal.

Ms Giuffre first made allegations against Prince Andrew in December 2014, when she declared during a Florida court filing that she’d been trafficked to the Prince by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell for rape at least three times at the age of 17.

Giuffre, a 38-year-old mother of three, alleged that Epstein made her have sex with his friends, claiming she was forced to have sex with the royal three times in 2001.

Prince Andrew has profusely denied any involvement in Epstein’s trafficking efforts and claimed Giuffre was only after “another payday at his expense”. The Prince had recently asked for a jury trial in the civil lawsuit being brought against him. 

After previously stepping down from his royal duties in response to the allegations, The Queen relieved Prince Andrew of his honorary military status and leadership of various charities and he can no longer use “his royal highness” in official settings.

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