Prince Andrew has reached an out of court settlement in respect of his sex assault case.
The case was brought against the prince, who is also known in the U.K. as the Duke of York, by Virginia Guiffre. She claimed the prince had sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17. Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied the allegations.
In a letter submitted to the New York District Court on Tuesday, Guiffre’s lawyer, David Boies, wrote:
“Dear Judge Kaplan:
We write jointly with counsel for defendant to advise the Court that the parties reached a settlement in principle of the above-referenced action. The parties anticipate filing a stipulation of dismissal of he case within thirty (30) days. In the interim, the parties request that the Court suspend all deadlines and hold the action in abeyance. We appreciate the time and effort the Court has devoted to this matter.”
In a joint statement, the parties said: “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). Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights. Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepted that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”
“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years,” the statement continued. “Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others. He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”
The news will no doubt come as a relief to Britain’s royal family, who were facing the prospect of celebrating Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee year (marking seven decades on the throne) while the case between Prince Andrew and Giuffre was tried in court.
In January, the Queen took pre-emptive action by stripping her middle son of all his royal patronages and military titles. There were even rumors he would be stripped of dukedom, although this has as yet not come to pass.
The allegations date back to Prince Andrew’s friendship with convicted sex abusers Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Epstein, a financier, died by suicide while awaiting trial on further sex trafficking charges in 2019. Maxwell, his one-time girlfriend and the daughter of disgraced publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, was convicted on federal charges of luring underage girls to engage in sex acts with Epstein in December.
While Maxwell was convicted on criminal charges (her sentence will reportedly be handed down in late June), Prince Andrew faced the prospect of a civil trial, with Giuffre alleging battery and “intentional infliction of emotional distress.”
That has now been avoided, thanks to the parties’ out-of-court settlement. The prince’s return to public life remains highly unlikely, however, as does any expectation he may join his mother on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the extended public holiday in honor of her jubilee this summer.
The Queen’s jubilee year – which properly kicked off on Feb. 6, the day she ascended to the throne in 1952 – has gotten off to a rocky start. As well as headlines dominated by the looming courtroom showdown between Prince Andrew and Giuffre (which has now been sidestepped), her eldest son, Prince Charles, tested positive for COVID for the second time last week.
The positive result came just days after Prince Charles and his mother had spent time together, leading to speculation on whether the Queen herself may have contracted the virus. (Buckingham Palace refused to be drawn on such speculation).
On Saturday, Prince Andrew’s younger daughter, Princess Eugenie, was spotted with her cousin Prince Harry at the Super Bowl.