An amicable agreement has been reached between Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre, the American who accused him of sexual assault in 2001 and who wanted to see him tried in a civil trial in New York, announced on Tuesday February 15, the plaintiff’s lawyers in a court document.
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II, aged 61, was sued by the 38-year-old American, a former victim of American multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, for sexual abuse committed when she was 17, facts he has always contested. “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an amicable agreement”can we read in a letter sent by the lawyer of Mr.me Giuffre on behalf of both parties, who state their intention to end the matter within thirty days.
The exact financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but according to the court document, the Duke of York “intends to make a significant donation to Virginia Giuffre’s organization that supports victims’ rights” of sexual assaults. Virginia Giuffre, who now lives in Australia, founded the organization Speak Out, Act, Reclaim last year.
“Prince Andrew never intended to denigrate Mrs.me Giuffre, and he acknowledges that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unjust public attacks”is it written in the document.
Prince Andrew regrets “his links with Jeffrey Epstein”
Lawyers say Prince Andrew “regrets his links with Epstein and salutes the courage of Mrs.me Giuffre and the other victims who took the floor to defend themselves”. In this one-page note, there is never any mention of the American’s accusations against Prince Andrew, nor of the latter’s denials.
The case had become increasingly embarrassing for the British royal family. Prince Andrew had retired from public life since a calamitous BBC interview in 2019, in which he tried to defend himself. Earlier this year, after failing to have the proceedings overturned, he was stripped of his military titles and association sponsorships by Queen Elizabeth II.
At the end of January, Prince Andrew seemed to have resolved on a civil trial in New York, which would have had a huge impact on the crown. He himself had asked for this trial. The American justice had judged admissible, on January 12, a civil complaint of Mme Giuffre, filed in 2021. The trial could have been held in the second half of 2022.
Virginia Giuffe accused the prince of sexual assault in London, New York and the US Virgin Islands, in the residences of the couple formed by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, when she was 17 years old.
