Prince Andrew reaches ‘settlement in principle’ with Virginia Giuffre

479

View
comments

Prince Andrew has dramatically settled the bombshell sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre after he agreed an undisclosed deal said to be worth £7.5million with his accuser without admitting her accusations.

Court documents filed in New York this morning revealed the Duke of York and Mrs Giuffre have reached a ‘settlement in principle’ in the civil sex claim – but royal experts said it was ‘very, very unlikely’ that there was a way back to public royal life for the Queen’s son.

And one royal source told MailOnline: ‘I’m sure that Charles has had enough and blown a gasket. Charles would have said to him that he needed to get this sorted out as soon as possible and before the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations begin. Charles did not want this hanging over the Royal Family this year.’ 

Andrew will now make a ‘substantial donation’ to Mrs Giuffre’s charity supporting victims’ rights, and praised her ‘bravery’ and that of other trafficking victims, saying he has ‘never intended’ to malign her character. 

Mrs Giuffre, previously known as Virginia Roberts, sued him 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.

Although the parties have settled, the agreement is not an admission of guilt from Andrew and he has always strenuously denied the allegations against him.

And the Duke, 61, 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 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 be welcomed by the Queen and other senior royals – 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.’ 

And Sigrid McCawley, one of Ms Giuffre’s lawyers, said: ‘As a managing partner at a firm that has from its beginning acted upon the belief that the law should be marshalled to bring justice to the most vulnerable, I can say, without hesitation, that our representation of survivors upholds that tradition. I am very pleased with the resolution of Virginia Giuffre’s litigation against Prince Andrew.’

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. 

A senior palace source told MailOnline today that the compensation figure is believed to be slightly lower at around $10million (£7.5million) – and the deal might only be a ‘settlement in principle’ at the moment because the sale of his Swiss chalet has not yet gone through. The source said the settlement will then likely be made when the property sale is completed – adding that he would expect Andrew to be at the service for Philip on March 29. 

Emily Baker, former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, told MailOnline the settlement would be ‘at least’ seven-figures and ‘sizeable’, while London-based criminal lawyer Anna Rothwell said it was ‘not surprising’ Andrew had settled because the BBC interview had provided such a ‘wealth of material to use in cross examination’. 

But royal author Nigel Cawthorne told the BBC: ‘We don’t have much of the details yet about how much money is involved and of course who is going to pay for it. He’s not a particularly wealthy man. Where is this money coming from? I’m sure all taxpayers in this country would like to know that.’  And the Queen’s former press secretary Dickie Arbiter told MailOnline today: ‘Where’s the money coming from? Your guess is as good as mine. ‘From the ”Bank of Mummy”? Pure speculation. It’s not just the settlement but the legal fees as well.’ 

And MailOnline columnist Dan Wootton said: ‘Hard to see how Prince Andrew will ever clear his name in the court of public opinion now he’s settled – and presumably paid huge money – to Virginia Giuffre. He said he’d cooperate with the FBI. He didn’t. He said he’d fight Virginia in court. He didn’t. What’s he hiding?’

Meanwhile royal author Angela Levin told GB News: ‘I think it sounds remarkably humble, which is not something we expect from Prince Andrew. Now, why that is, I’m not sure. I wonder if the Queen, now she’s well, gave him a b******ing and said ‘you’re not going to spoil my Platinum Jubilee. I’m the only person who’s ever reached this and you just got to sort it out’. She’s the only one I think who should really give him a telling off. She’s very matronly with him and perhaps he decided that. But it is a great relief I think because it would have rumbled on and that would have taken the headlines all the time and goodness knows what could have come out the other end.’

Another expert, Joe Little of Majesty magazine, said: ‘I just don’t think he’s ever likely to resume work as a working member of the royal family. I think that too much water has gone under the bridge for that and the institution of monarchy has been tainted by his association with Epstein and I just think that there’s no going back on all that.’

Of the likely reaction of the rest of the Royal Family, Mr Little said: ‘I’m sure that they’re glad this (settlement agreement) has happened, but does it exonerate the prince who really has not been charged with anything criminal? He will, I think, forever be tainted by this scandal, for want of a better way of describing it.’

It 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. 

The Metropolitan Police dropped their investigation into Andrew last October, saying they would take ‘no further action’ – but the latest development raises questions over whether he could still be quizzed in the future. 

A document submitted to the court in New York 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.’ 

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. 

The Queen stripped her second son of his prestigious honorary military titles and royal patronages in January, and he stopped using his HRH style, in a move that effectively cast him adrift from the institution. It is understood that the statement released by the Palace on January 13, outlining the changes, still stands, with the Duke continuing not to undertake any public duties.

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.’

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.’ 

Emily Baker, former Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney, told MailOnline that the settlement would be ‘at least’ seven-figures and ‘sizeable’.

She said: ‘I was very surprised that he agreed to settle for an undisclosed sum given that he’s been vehemently denying it. They were just about to get into discovery which could have been a lot more damaging to Prince Andrew than her.

‘It’s hard to speculate but at least seven figures would be appropriate. There’s no benefit to her otherwise. She doesn’t have that much to lose, she’s already gone through the media gauntlet.

‘It would have to be a number that made it worth it for her.’

The settlement will never be made public in court filings but the payment to Mrs Giuffre’s charity may, she added.

Ms Baker said: ‘They have filed a notice that they’re settling. Once the money hits her account, they will then file a notice that it has been dismissed but that is all we will see.’

‘When you have a royal involved in the US justice system, I can’t think of any other case comparable but we do have the other Epstein victim funds and they were multi-million dollar settlements.’

Anna Rothwell, a lawyer at criminal law firm Corker Binning in London, said: ‘It is not surprising that Prince Andrew has settled Ms Giuffre’s civil claim in light of his disastrous Newsnight interview. 

‘That interview alone would have given Ms Giuffre’s lawyers a wealth of material to use in cross examination. It would have proven a painful deposition for the Prince, and this time his cross examination would have been under oath.’

And a spokesman for anti-monarchy group Republic said: ‘Andrew has settled the civil case brought against him by Virginia Giuffre. People will draw own conclusions about what that means, but it’s unlikely to repair to substantial damage done to the monarchy.

‘It’s been more than 11 years since this came to light. It’s good that Virginia Giuffre has achieved a favourable outcome.

‘However, this leaves a lot of questions that the British public deserve answers to, such as: has Andrew admitted guilt to a criminal offence? Will he now cooperate with the FBI?’