Prince Andrew has dramatically settled the bombshell sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre after he agreed an undisclosed deal with h...
Prince Andrew has dramatically settled the bombshell sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre after he agreed an undisclosed deal with his accuser without admitting her accusations.
Court documents filed in New York this morning revealed the Duke of York and Mrs Giuffre, who was previously known as Virginia Roberts, have reached a 'settlement in principle' in the civil sex claim.
Andrew will now make a 'substantial donation' to Mrs Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights, and praised her 'bravery' and that of other trafficking victims, saying he has 'never intended' to malign her character.
Mrs Giuffre sued the Duke last August, alleging he sexually abused her more than two decades ago when she was 17, a minor under US law, while the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was trafficking her.
And the 61-year-old Duke said in his statement today that he 'regrets his association with Epstein' and pledged to demonstrate this 'by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims'.
An attachment to the letter announcing the settlement to the public and the United States District Court gave brief details of the agreement between Andrew and Mrs Giuffre but indicated the sum would not be disclosed.
Attorney David Boies, who represents Mrs Giuffre, said in a filing that lawyers on both sides were telling the judge that a settlement in principle has been reached and they will request a dismissal of the lawsuit within a month.
The settlement means the civil case will not go to a jury trial, and also that Andrew will no longer be questioned under oath by Mrs Giuffre's lawyers - something that had been expected to take place in the coming weeks.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the development today, which comes ahead of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations this summer in May and June as well as a Westminster Abbey service to remember the late Prince Philip next month. Royal sources told ITV News that the case was a matter for the Duke and his legal team.
But the news will no doubt have come as a relief to the Queen and other royal officials - and will also spare Andrew from a potentially embarrassing series of disclosures and accusations in the months ahead of and during a trial.
Royal author Penny Junor said the settlement is likely to come as a 'huge relief' to the rest of the Royal Family because a trial 'could have been very, very nasty' and 'humiliating'. She added: 'It could have really taken the shine off the Queen's Platinum Jubilee year.' Ms Junor also said there had been a 'complete change of tone' on Andrew's words on his links to Epstein, adding: 'At last, he's expressing some regret and some empathy for those girls.'
Ms Junor said the Duke's notorious BBC Newsnight interview in 2019 had been 'all about him' but that Andrew has 'got it right now'. Ms Junor added: 'He's got it right now, it took him a long time to get there but I think he's got it right.' Asked if there is a way back to public royal life for Andrew, Ms Junor said: 'I think it's very, very unlikely.'
Lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represents eight Epstein victims, said the news was a 'victory' for Mrs Giuffre, tweeting on behalf of the eight: 'We hail Virginia's victory today. She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with sexual abuse victims. We salute Virginia's stunning courage.'
While the size of the settlement is not yet known, reports suggested last month Andrew could avoid a trial by using the sale of his £18million Swiss chalet to try to pay off Mrs Giuffre with at least £10million of the proceeds.
It also follows reports overnight that Mrs Giuffre claims to have lost the original print of the famous photograph of her and Andrew taken in London in 2001, which could further the Duke's argument that the image was doctored.
Prince Andrew and Virginia Roberts stand together with Ghislaine Maxwell in the background in London on March 13, 2001
Prince Andrew is pictured driving in Windsor on November 6 last year
Virginia Giuffre, who used to be known as Virginia Roberts, is pictured in Perth, Australia, last week on February 8
A document submitted to the court today 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 accepts 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. 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.'
A source close to Andrew told MailOnline that there would be no statement issued further to what was in the court document.
A second document, which was a letter addressed to US judge Lewis A Kaplan, who has been overseeing the case, said: 'We write jointly with counsel for defendant to advise the court that the parties reached a settlement in principle of the above-referenced action.'
It goes on to say the parties involved plan to file a 'stipulation of dismissal of the case' within 30 days. The letter, signed by Mr Boies, concludes: 'We appreciate the time and effort the court has devoted to this matter.'
And when asked for comment by DailyMail.com today, Mr Boies said: 'This event speaks for itself.'
Commenting on today's development, royal expert Omid Scobie, who was also Harry and Meghan's biographer, tweeted: 'There will no doubt be plenty of speculation about both parties over the days ahead.
'Worth noting that this deal comes just weeks before Andrew was scheduled to sit for an intense deposition, in which he would have been questioned under oath by Giuffre's lawyers.
'Today's news won't change Andrew's royal status — the honours he was stripped of won't be returned and he's still prohibited from using HRH.
'It does, however, remain to be seen whether the institution will play any role in helping the disgraced royal rehabilitate his image.'
A joint statement issued today by Virginia Giuffre's lawyer, David Boies, and Prince Andrew's lawyer, Andrew Brettler
A letter addressed to US judge Lewis A Kaplan, who has been overseeing the case, from David Boies, Virginia Giuffre's lawyer
Prince Andrew's daughter Princess Eugenie attended the Super Bowl in Los Angeles with Prince Harry on Sunday
Andrew's mother the Queen held virtual audiences from Windsor Castle with the Estonian and Spanish ambassadors today
Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson leave Royal Lodge in Windsor in a Range Rover with their dog on January 30
And ITV royal editor Chris Ship added: 'It does seem that the stripping of Prince Andrew's royal patronages and military titles in January - and the removal from use of his HRH title, all remains in place despite today's settlement news. '
Last month Andrew was stripped of his honorary military titles and charitable roles after New York Judge Lewis Kaplan denied his plea to dismiss Mrs Giuffre's case.
The judge also said it was premature to decide whether Mrs Giuffre's 2009 civil settlement with Epstein also shielded Andrew.
Mrs Giuffre, who is now 38, alleges that Andrew sexually assaulted her at the London home of socialite and Epstein's close friend Ghislaine Maxwell after a night out dancing in March 2001.
She sued the Prince last year for unspecified damages, alleging that she was trafficked to him by Epstein and Maxwell.
Last December, Maxwell was convicted of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, exposing a murky world of sex trafficking among the rich and powerful.
As well as the London allegations, Mrs Giuffre also said Andrew assaulted her at Epstein's home in New York, and on Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, withdrew from public life as a royal in 2019 after a widely ridiculed BBC interview where he sought to vindicate himself of the accusations.
Epstein killed himself aged 66 in a New York prison cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Asked about the size of the settlement, Andrew Ford, director at Holborn Adams criminal defence solicitors in London, told MailOnline today: 'The settlement will be pitched as a 'commercial decision' and will not include any admission of criminal wrongdoing or a civil tort.
'A settlement figure is designed to compensate an individual for their losses. Physical or mental harm in a case like this. This would potentially be a five-figure sum.
'What is worth more than that in high profile case settlements - of which I have done many - is the NDA which preserves the PR. I would therefore imagine we would be looking at a six figure sum, sterling.'
And Leigh Day partner and abuse claims specialist Dino Nocivelli, who is also based in London, said: 'The figures awarded for damages for sexual abuse in America tend to be significantly higher than those ordered in England and Wales, and this is an out-of-court settlement.
'We don't know if the agreement included any admissions or apologies and if there are any non-disclosure agreements involved. For all those reasons we couldn't hazard a guess at what the settlement figure might be.
'However this is an important conclusion for the claimant and I hope it brings an element of closure and justice for her.'
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