case Epstein
Abuse lawsuit: Prince Andrew agrees to settlement
Prince Andrew has agreed to a deal. Photo: Steve Parsons/Pool PA/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Instead of a grand finale in court, the Prince Andrew abuse scandal ends quietly with a comparison. The British Royal wants to put the cloak of silence over the allegations.
For a short time it looked as if the abuse scandal surrounding Britain’s Prince Andrew would end up in the glare of publicity in a New York courtroom.
Judge Lewis Kaplan has already scheduled a trial of Virginia Giuffre’s lawsuit later this year after questioning Andrews under oath. But this does not occur. “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out-of-court settlement” – this is the simple wording of a recent court document available to the German Press Agency. In a letter to New York judge Lewis Kaplan, both parties to the conflict announced that they would apply for the trial to be dropped.
Giuffre had accused Queen Elizabeth II’s second eldest son of sexually abusing her as a minor more than 20 years ago. She was forced to do so by US businessman Jeffrey Epstein and his ex-partner Ghislaine Maxwell. Andrew strictly rejects the allegations.
Experts had therefore previously not been in agreement as to whether the prince would agree to an out-of-court deal, because this could appear to the outside world as an admission of guilt. Recently it was said that Prince Andrew is facing the process and should testify under oath before Giuffre’s lawyers on March 10 at a “neutral place” in London. Virginia Giuffre was also asked to testify under oath.
Andrew opened the wallet
Now money is flowing to the plaintiff instead – how much is unknown, but it can’t be little. Andrew shared that he wants to support Giuffre’s charity that supports victims of violence. “Prince Andrew never intended to defame Ms. Giuffre and he accepts that she has suffered both as a victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks,” read the statement, with which the lawsuit is now settled at the will of Andrew is to be shelved.
Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell
Direct reference is also made to Andrew’s former friend: it is known that Jeffrey Epstein has been responsible for the human trafficking of countless young girls for many years. “Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein and commends the courage of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors to stand up for themselves and others.”
Giuffre says he was a victim of an abuse ring set up by US multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein and his ex-partner Ghislaine Maxwell. According to her own statements, she was mediated to the Royal for abuse.
Maxwell, who has been friends with Andrew for many years, was recently found guilty by a court in a US criminal case on several counts, including trafficking in children for abuse purposes, and faces a long prison sentence. Epstein took his own life while in custody in 2019.
With the out-of-court settlement, Andrew escapes a potentially very unpleasant lawsuit by publishing details of the sexual abuse he is accused of. There was great concern in royal circles that the scandal could overshadow the celebrations for the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II (95) this year.
A trial in New York would probably have taken place in the fall and attracted huge media attention. The palace has already stripped the Queen’s second son of all military ranks and patronage.
Legal expert and former US Attorney Neama Rahmani judged the settlement a victory for Giuffre, even if Andrew averted a potentially extremely embarrassing public trial. “This is essentially an admission that something happened,” Rahmani told the German Press Agency. It now seems as if the royal has not been sincere for years when he categorically denied even knowing Giuffre. Rahmani believes the settlement includes a confidentiality clause and a statement that Andrew is not liable. He paid an estimated millions to Giuffre for this.
Whether with a process or without: the image of the royal is ruined anyway. With a BBC interview in which Andrew talked head and neck, the prince maneuvered himself even further out in 2019. In it, he questioned the authenticity of a photograph showing him at Ghislaine Maxwell’s London home with an arm around Virginia Giuffre’s waist. He even sowed doubts about having even known the woman he is now paying a lot of money to. A return of Andrews as a working member of the royal family is considered impossible.