Disgraced Prince Andrew has suddenly chucked a U-ie and chosen to avoid a humiliating court battle with sex abuse survivor Virginia Guiffre, choosing instead to reach a settlement.
To bring you up to speed, Virginia Guiffre accused Prince Andrew of raping her after she was trafficked by Ghislaine Maxwell (accomplice of deceased pedophile Jeffrey Epstein) on three different occasions when she was 17 years old. Prince Andrew has fought the rape allegations tooth and nail. He claimed Guiffre had created false memories, that her accusations were “baseless” and that she was seeking a “payday”.
Just weeks ago Andrew’s lawyers demanded a jury trial and argued Giuffre’s case shouldn’t stand, insisting he would never settle. Guiffre’s own lawyers also said she wouldn’t accept a “purely financial settlement”.
But now, documents have been submitted to a New York court that reveal the two parties have reached a settlement for an amount of money that isn’t specified. It’s interesting timing considering this means Andrew will now avoid a two-day probe that would have exposed intimate details from his personal life.
“The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed),” the document says.
“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 accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”
Side note: it’s interesting that Andrew has acknowledged Guiffre as a victim of abuse, but just not his abuse apparently.
“Prince Andrew never intended to malign her character” — oh please, he allowed his attorneys to file an official answer asserting the “unclean hands” defense, that her bad behavior exonerated him even if he abused her.
— Lisa Bloom (@LisaBloom) February 15, 2022
“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years,” the document continues.
“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.”
It’s unclear what Andrew plans to do to “fight against the evils of sex trafficking”, especially considering he was stripped of his royal titles and would be acting as a private citizen.
Representatives for Prince Andrew have told The Sun that he wouldn’t be expanding further on the statement, and estimates reckon the settlement could be up to AUD$26.5 million.
Help is available.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
