Fed-up Queen will pay part of Prince Andrew's lawsuit in hopes it ends sordid saga
The Queen will reportedly foot part of the bill for Prince Andrew's sexual abuse lawsuit. The Duke's mother is set to help fund the settlement, reports say, after Andrew and Virginia Roberts Giuffre settled the latter's sex assault lawsuit against Andrew. The two will now file a stipulation to dismiss the case within the next month, court papers filed by both parties suggest. An unsigned letter was submitted as an attachment to the settlement filing, which claimed that Andrew does not admit any wrongdoing but accepts the fact that Giuffre has suffered as an “established victim” of sex abuse.
Reports suggest that the Queen will pay for the settlement herself, and the total amount that the victim and her charity will receive could exceed £12m. The funds will come from her private Duchy of Lancaster estate, which was increasedby £1.5m to over £23m recently.
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Although the settlement sum has not been publicly disclosed, a source told New York Post that the estimated total is $12 million. “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,” the unsigned letter states. “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." The statement also claimed that Andrew is going to donate to Giuffre’s charity for sex crime victims. “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,” it adds.
Giuffre’s lawyer was quoted as saying, "It's a really great day. Virginia was thrilled when we told her the terms. This has all come about over the past couple of days, it's been quite quick. I am not sure what changed from his side. I thought that this should have been settled when we brought the lawsuit. That's basically the end of the case. She will get paid the money in 30 days' time. I cannot comment on the amount or the terms, but it's a good day."
In January, a settlement signed by Prince Andrew's accuser Virginia Giuffre was unsealed, and the Duke hoped it would lead to the dismissal of her sexual assault lawsuit against him. As per the settlement signed by Giuffre, 38, in 2009, she agreed to be paid $500,000 by Jeffrey Epstein to resolve the sex abuse case against him.
The agreement did not make any mention of Prince Andrew by name. However, it stipulated 'other potential defendants' are included in it. "Hereby release, acquit, satisfy, and forever discharge the said Second Parties and any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant ('Other Potential Defendants') from all, and all manner of, action and actions of Virginia Roberts," the statement said.
The agreement suggested that Giuffre had accepted $500,000 from Epstein in an attempt to settle all claims against him. In the 12-page agreement, Giuffre agreed to release Epstein's "agent(s), attorney(s), predecessor(s), successor(s), heir(s), administrator(s), assign(s) and/or employee(s)". Giuffre also reportedly agreed to release "any other person or entity who could have been included as a potential defendant ('Other Potential Defendants') from all, and all manner of, action and actions of Virginia Roberts, including State or Federal, cause and causes of action (common law or statutory), suits…and demands whatsoever in law or inequity for compensatory or punitive damages."
Giuffre had claimed that she was "required to be sexually exploited by (Epstein's) adult male peers, including royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen, and/or other professional and personal acquaintances." Referring to these allegations, the Duke's lawyer Andrew Brettler had said that he did qualify as somebody covered in the statement as he was identified as 'royalty' in her complaint against Epstein. Giuffre said she slept with Andrew three times in 2001 when she was under the control of Epstein and only 17 years of age. The prince had maintained that the allegations were false.