SHAMED Prince Andrew last night agreed a payout of up to £12million to settle his sexual abuse lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre.
The Duke, 61, caved in after 72 hours of secret negotiations to avoid overshadowing the Queen’s jubilee celebrations.
In a statement, he hailed his accuser’s “bravery”. Senior sources said Andrew, who was stripped of his titles by his mother last month, will never return to the family’s front line.
Prince Andrew struck a megabucks deal with accuser Virginia Giuffre just weeks before he was due to be quizzed on oath.
Ms Giuffre is said to be “very, very pleased” with the unprecedented settlement.
The sum remains secret but could reach £12million, say experts. She will get personal compensation and there is no non-disclosure agreement which would stop her telling her side of the story.
Details of the settlement emerged in a letter filed to the US district court in New York yesterday.
In an extraordinary statement, the Duke of York, 61, told of his “regret” over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
‘Supporting victims’
And he vowed to “demonstrate” his remorse by “supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims”.
In exchange Ms Giuffre, who said Andrew raped her when she was 17, agreed to drop the case.
The Duke, who denied sweating while allegedly dancing with her in 2001, did not admit any crime or misconduct in the court papers. Despite the deal Andrew is not completely in the clear, with US police still wanting to question him over Epstein’s crimes.
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Senior royal sources said he will never return to the Royal Family’s front line.
Andrew had just 22 days before he was due to be quizzed by Ms Giuffre’s lawyers on March 10.
It is thought that was something he was desperate to avoid. The scandal also threatened to overshadow his mum’s Platinum Jubilee.
A source close to the Queen said her decision to remove his HRH title remained “relevant”. The settlement came after 72 hours of talks over the weekend.
Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies said: “It was two or three long days. Essentially Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Virginia was very, very pleased with the settlement.
“It’s over, we have monetary settlement and a charitable contribution and we have his statement and acknowledgement. If the UK people want to know where the money has come from they could get that from Andrew.”
Asked if there had been tough negotiations over an admission of guilt from Andrew which is not in the statement, Mr Boies said: “I can’t get into that but I think the statement speaks for itself.”
Ms Giuffre, now 38, lives in Perth, Australia.
Last night her dad Sky Roberts said of Andrew: “I knew he would settle out of court. That was a complete bluff.
“I think Virginia will be happy.”
Lisa Bloom, who acts for eight Epstein victims, said: “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.”
Buckingham Palace yesterday refused to say if Her Majesty had funded any part of the deal.
Andrew’s spokesman also declined to comment on exactly how it had been paid.
An agreed statement between the parties read: “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 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 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.”
The statement also said Andrew would make a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights”. Sources said the Duke’s deal came amid the backdrop of the US Department of Justice (DOJ) probe into Epstein. In June 2020, the DOJ filed a mutual legal assistance (MLA) request to the Home Office in a bid to speak to Andrew.
The MLA request is understood to remain open and has not been formally refused by UK officials.
A source said: “Any answers Andrew potentially gave in a deposition to Giuffre’s lawyers could only risk exposing him further. The last thing he’d want is to encourage the DOJ to probe further.”
Ms Giuffre’s lawsuit, filed in a New York court six months ago, alleged Andrew had sexually abused her when she was just 17.
She claimed the attacks happened at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and on his private Caribbean island Little Saint James.
‘Powerful connections, wealth and authority’
She also alleged Epstein and his lover Ghislaine Maxwell made her have sex with Andrew at Ghislaine’s London home.
Ms Giuffre’s lawyers said she was terrified of the trio because of their “powerful connections, wealth and authority”.
Maxwell, 60, was convicted in December of five out of six federal charges, including sex trafficking of a minor.
She is due to be sentenced in June and could face up to 65 years in jail if an appeal fails.
Epstein, 66, was found dead in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019. He was facing sex trafficking charges at the time.
Royal author Nigel Cawthorne said: “It is strange they will not confirm who is paying this. It is a question that needs answering. Taxpayers deserve to know.”
Mark Stephens, media specialist at law firm Howard Kennedy, said Andrew is likely to use proceeds from the £17million sale of his chalet in Verbier, Switzerland.
Mr Stephens said: “This was inevitable given Jubilee year and that he was reputationally toast anyway.
“Andrew has thrown himself on this judicial grenade and avoided the spectacle of being cross-examined on what he did or didn’t do. He is never going to be rehabilitated from this. But it does stop the spread of damage to the family.”
Charles and William led moves over Christmas to boot out Andrew, before the Queen removed his titles last month.
Ingrid Seward, of Majesty Magazine, said of the settlement: “This is the only way out. But this is the end for Andrew.
“I can’t see him as a campaigner for sex abuse victims. He must go to ground completely.”
Epstein victims’ lawyer Spencer Kuvin said: “The prospect of a deposition probably sharpened his mind.
“At some point he was going to have to settle because discovery would just be an ultimate embarrassment for him and the Crown.”
Asked about the joint statement, Mr Kuvin added: “Ultimately money speaks louder than words.”
