Prince Andrew settled a lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre accusing the royal of raping her as a teenager, according to a federal court filing announced on Tuesday. The disgraced (but rumored favorite) son of Queen Elizabeth II who previously denied even meeting Giuffre will pay a confidential (definitely huge) amount of money as well as “substantial donation” to a victims’ rights charity to avoid trial.
Andrew would have had to sit for a deposition in the case in the coming weeks, just as Buckingham Palace is attempting to garner untold amounts of good press for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. She’s the first monarch to serve the Commonwealth for 70 years, and a sex crimes deposition would certainly spoil the fun of celebrating the decline of the British Empire.
Giuffre has publicly spoken about the assault against her for years. She’s also been among the most outspoken of Epstein victims. In 2019, Giuffre said she met Andrew at the behest of Epstein and Maxwell in the VIP section of the Tramp club in 2001.“He is the most hideous dancer I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean it was horrible and this guy was sweating all over me, like his sweat was, like it was raining basically everywhere,” Giuffre told the BBC. To counteract this damning interview, Andrew said he doesn’t sweat.
In the lawsuit filed in August, Giuffre claimed that Andrew raped her when was under 18 at Epstein’s palatial Manhattan apartment and at his private island, Little St. James. She also posited that Maxwell forced her to have sex with Andrew in London. Epstein is dead. Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in December.
As a result of years of bad press, the Royal Family made Andrew give up his military titles and charity patronages (can’t say if people would actually want to take his money these days!) as well as being unable to perform public royal duties or be address as His Royal Highness.
Even an exorbitant monetary settlement and loss of titles seems like small potatoes for a man who has attempted to dodge the criminal legal system at every turn. In a statement on Tuesday, Andrew said he “regrets his association with Epstein and commends the bravery of Ms. Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.”