Settlement reached in sex abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew

By 1news.co.nz and is republished with permission.

The woman, Virginia Giuffre, was 17 when she was allegedly sex trafficked by paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was a friend of the prince.

“I [had] to do for Andrew, what I [did] for Jeffrey – and that made me sick,” she said in a 2019 interview.

The prince avoided being served the lawsuit, according to the accuser’s lawyers, before applying for the case to be dismissed.

Last month, a judge in New York ruled the trial would go ahead with a deposition hearing due to start in a few weeks.

But on Wednesday, the parties involved made a surprise announcement that a settlement had been reached. Both parties had earlier made clear that they wanted to go to court.

“Virginia Giuffre seemed like she was going to be a very compelling witness and the evidence as it’s presented was going to be very difficult for Prince Andrew to dispute,” said former US prosecutor Moira Penza.

A statement accompanying the settlement did not admit guilt on behalf of Prince Andrew, but instead acknowledged Giuffre was a victim of his former friend and that she had shown “bravery” in speaking out.

“Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre’s character,” it read.

“It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein.”

The agreement promises to include a “substantial” donation to Giuffre’s charity, which supports other victims of sexual abuse.

The settlement sum was intended to be secret, but British newspapers are reporting that it’s around £12 million, close to NZD$25 million.

Prince Andrew sold a holiday home last year to apparently fund the settlement, and the Queen has reportedly made up the difference.

The prince, who gave up his titles as the litigation ramped up, has always said he never met Giuffre, and has claimed a photo of them together was “fake.”