Royals fear tell-all book by Virginia Giuffre can make Prince Andrew scandal 'go on and on'
Virginia Giuffre's lawyer has claimed that she did not sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) with Prince Andrew, while the royal experts claim that she could write a "tell-all book" to share her side of the story which will be quite a challenge for the Royals.
The Duke of York, Prince Andrew, 61, and Virginia Giuffre have been quite a talk-about subject since the disgraced Duke was on a collision course with the sex trafficking victim over claims he raped and abused her when she was 17. Giuffre first sued Andrew in August 2021. It was the first time she had brought an action against him after going public with the allegations in 2011. The allegations have seen the Royal Family shaken to its foundations as the Duke was stripped of his titles and banished from public life. Giuffre also accused Andrew's friends Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
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Repeatedly and strongly denying all the claims against him, Prince Andrew took the case for a high-profile court battle in the US. The pair settled their differences out of court for an undisclosed sum of money, which has been speculated to be up to £12million.
The settlement has avoided a grueling legal clash which could have probed several claims including that Andrew could not sweat and his trip to Pizza Express.
According to a report by the Sun, Giuffre's lawyer told that there is no NDA in place - meaning she could speak out no detail spared at any point.
Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies said: "The settlement amount is confidential, but there's no NDA. "If the people of the UK want to know where the money has come from they could get that from Andrew."
Such information is not good news for the Royal family, royal expert Angela Levin said a "tell-all book" from Giuffre could make the humiliating case "drag on and on" for the Royals. She told the Sun: "Apparently Virginia is allowed to write a book about herself - or broadcast about herself as she sees fit. So if that's the case it could drag on and on. We don't know when she will do that, we don't know when it might be broadcast. The sort of smell will stay with Andrew and the Royal Family. There's no clean-cut end."
Virginia Giuffre is a 38-year-old American-Australian campaigner who offers support to victims of sex trafficking. She made claims against Brit socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-lover and partner of Jeffrey Epstein. Giuffre has alleged in court docs that she was procured by Maxwell, 60, the daughter of disgraced tycoon Robert Maxwell, as a teenage “sex slave” for Epstein.
(Photo by Florida Department of Law Enforcement via Getty Images)
Jeffery Epstein was a friend of the Duke since 1999. He was introduced to the Duke by Maxwell. Epstein was quite close to Andrew and even get invited to important Royal functions including the Queen's private Scottish retreat in Aberdeenshire, Princess Royal's 50th, the Queen Mother's 100th, and Princess Margaret's 70th. Epstein has been charged with many allegations of sexual abuse against minors. In 2008, Epstein admits prostituting minors and is sentenced to 18 months in prison. Giuffre claims that she met Prince Andrew when she was just a teenager through Epstein and Epstein also abused her.
(Photo by Laura Cavanaugh/Getty Images)
Details of the Duke's settlement emerged in a letter filed to the US district court in New York. Court documents show Andrew will make a "substantial donation to Ms Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights". He also accepted that Giuffre is “an established victim of abuse” and that she had been subjected to “unfair public attacks”.
Andrew has also pledged to demonstrate his regret for his association with his friend Epstein and Maxwell by supporting the "fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims."
Andrew's settlement statement marked the first time he had shown contrition over his relationship with Epstein. The duke had previously defended his friendship with the paedo as having "seriously beneficial outcomes" away from the rape allegations.