Prince Andrew had reached an out-of-court settlement “in principle” in a lawsuit that accused the British Royal of sexually assaulting an underage girl when she was under the control of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Prince Andrew a settlement “in principle” with Epstein victim Giuffre
In January, in New York, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that a sex trafficking lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, which accuses Britain’s Prince Andrew, 61, of abusing her when she was 17 years old, could go forward.
Giuffre’s lawsuit claims she was sexually abused on multiple encounters with Prince Andrew, which caused personal harm and lasting trauma.
At the time of the alleged events, Giuffre went by Virginia Roberts and was 17 years old, the BBC reported. A widely circulated photo shows Prince Andrew with his arm around Roberts, with Ghislaine Maxwell smiling in the near background. Maxwell, 60, was the longtime companion to now-deceased convicted sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein. She was convicted of sex trafficking and other counts of sex trafficking and other counts in U.S. District Court in Manhattan late last month, the Washington Post reported.
Andrew was one of Epstein’s many rich, influential, and high-profile friends over the years, CNBC reported, which also included presidents Trump and Clinton.
Settlement announced, amount not disclosed
On Tuesday, David Boies, the attorney for Virginia Giuffre, 38, wrote a letter to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan that was filed on Tuesday, informing that the two parties had “reached an out-of-court settlement,” The Hill reported. The letter said the settlement amount will not be disclosed. However, the attorney said in the letter that Andrew “intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
Andrew acknowledges Giuffre “established victim” of sex abuse
According to both parties’ court papers filed jointly, Prince Andrew will file a stipulation to dismiss the case within the next month. An unsigned letter was submitted as an attachment to the settlement filing. Prince Andrew said he accepted Giuffre has suffered as an “established victim” of sex abuse, the New York Post reported.
Prince Andrew stripped of Royal titles
Last month, Britain’s Prince Andrew, also known as the Duke of York, was stripped of his Royal titles by Queen Elizabeth. The attorneys for the Royal failed to persuade a U.S. judge to dismiss a civil lawsuit that accuses Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, NBC reported. According to a royal source, Andrew returned all military titles and royal patronages to the Queen and agreed to stop using His Royal Highness in an official capacity.
“With the Queen’s approval and agreement, the Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to the Queen,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement, the BBC reported.
