Prince Andrew, the younger brother of Britain’s heir to the throne, has agreed to settle a civil lawsuit in New York over allegations of s**ual abuse.
The victim, Virginia Giuffre, accused the royal of abusing her when she was a minor and trafficked by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
David Boies, Giuffre’s attorney, confirmed that a settlement in principle had been reached, although the exact amount will not be disclosed.
Giuffre filed the lawsuit against the Duke of York in August 2021, claiming that he abused her multiple times in 2001 when she was 17 years old and under Epstein’s control.
Epstein, who ran a s** trafficking ring for many years with the assistance of his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, died in jail before facing trial.
However, Maxwell was recently convicted.
According to Giuffre, she met Prince Andrew while traveling with Epstein between 2000 and 2002.
She alleges that she was “on call” for Epstein’s s**ual purposes and was also “lent out” to other powerful men, including the prince.
The lawsuit included a photograph of Giuffre with Andrew at Maxwell’s London home, taken before the alleged nonconsensual s** took place.
Prince Andrew, aged 61, vehemently denied the allegations made by Giuffre.
Although the settlement letter appears to be jointly written, it was only signed by Giuffre’s attorney.
Earlier this year, Judge Lewis Kaplan allowed Giuffre’s case to proceed, leading to Prince Andrew being stripped of his honorary military roles and royal patronages.
In a statement accompanying the settlement letter, Prince Andrew’s representatives expressed regret for his association with Epstein and pledged support for the fight against s** trafficking and its victims.
They acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as an abuse survivor and the unfair public attacks she has endured.
Prince Andrew plans to make a substantial donation to Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
Prince Andrew, now residing at the Royal Lodge in Berkshire, England, claimed in a 2019 BBC interview that he had no recollection of meeting Giuffre.
Despite later stating his willingness to cooperate with U.S. authorities investigating Epstein, it was reported that he provided “zero cooperation.”
Giuffre alleges that Epstein recruited her into his s** trafficking operation while she was working at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Giuffre’s lawsuit states that Prince Andrew s**ually abused her in Epstein’s New York mansion, on his private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and at Maxwell’s London home.
Maxwell, who was found guilty in December 2021 on federal charges related to the recruitment of underage girls for Epstein’s abuse, is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
It is worth noting that Giuffre has been involved in a separate defamation case against Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor emeritus.
She settled a defamation suit against Maxwell in 2017 and did not testify at her recent criminal trial.
Maxwell’s attorneys have filed a motion for a retrial due to a juror’s undisclosed history of s**ual abuse.
Judge Kaplan has indicated that a trial in Giuffre’s lawsuit against Prince Andrew could take place between September and December 2022.
Boies’ letter stated that the parties anticipate filing a stipulation of dismissal within 30 days and requested the judge to suspend all deadlines and put the case on hold.
