Moments ago, it was revealed that Prince Andrew, the son of Queen Elizabeth, has settled his sexual assault lawsuit with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a Jeffrey Epstein accuser who alleged that she was forced to have sex with the royal three times while she was underage.
Daily Mail reported that Andrew agreed to an undisclosed deal with Giuffre without ever admitting that he sexually assaulted her.
“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),” reads an official court document.
Related: Prince Andrew Fights Back – Demands Jury Trial As He Denies Sexual Assault Claims
As the filing continued, Andrew praised Giuffre for her “bravery,” and agreed “to make a substantial donation” to her charity that supports victims’ rights:
“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 second document was sent to U.S. judge Lewis A. Kaplan stating, “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 document goes on to say that both parties will be filing a “stipulation of dismissal of the case” within the next thirty days.
“We appreciate the time and effort the court has devoted to this matter,” it concluded.
A source close to Andrew said that no further court filings will be released to the public regarding this case.
Find out more about his settlement in the video below.
Today’s turn of events is counter to previous reports stating that Andrew was determined to fight Giuffre’s lawsuit, as he had long denied the sexual assault claims that she had made against him.
The Royal Family was said to be pressuring Andrew to settle, however, as they feared a trial would only embarrass them further.
Giuffre had claimed that she was forced to have sex with Andrew when she was 17 years-old on three occasions in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands. The New York Post reported that Giuffre had alleged in her lawsuit that each time she was forced by Epstein to have sex with Andrew, she “feared death or physical injury to herself” if she refused to comply.
Giuffre’s attorney had said last month that he did not believe she was interested in a financial settlement.
“A purely financial settlement is not anything I think she is interested in,” he said.
Andrew was forced to take a step back from royal life at the end of 2019 after he gave a disastrous interview about his friendship with Epstein.
He has since been stripped of his military titles and his royal patronages by the Queen.
It remains to be seen if Andrew will ever be allowed to make a comeback to royal life again. Given just how far this scandal has gone, however, it seems unlikely that the royal family will ever let him represent them again.
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