Prince AndrewandVirginia Giuffrehave reached an out-of-court settlement in her sexual assault lawsuit against the royal.
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims' rights,” the document stated. “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.”
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Prince Andrew’s representatives in the U.K. had no further comment.
Prince Andrew.Chris Jackson/WPA Pool/Getty Images
Attorney Sigrid McCawley, a lawyer for Giuffre, said in a statement to PEOPLE: “As a managing partner at a firm that has from its beginning acted upon the belief that the law should be marshalled to bring justice to the most vulnerable, I can say, without hesitation, that our representation of survivors upholds that tradition. I am very pleased with the resolution of Virginia Giuffre’s litigation against Prince Andrew.”
In January, Prince Andrew’s attorneysargued to dismiss the lawsuitafter it was revealed that Epstein had reached a $500,000 settlement with Giuffre, in which she agreed not to sue any other “potential defendant.” Judge Lewis A. Kaplan of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York refused to grant the royal’s motion to dismiss.
On January 13, Buckingham Palace released a statement regarding Andrew’s royal status, saying he wasstripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages.
“With The Queen’s approval and agreement, The Duke of York’s military affiliations and Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen,” the palace announced. “The Duke of York will continue not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen.”
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Andrew.Chris Jackson/Getty Images
The decision was “widely discussed” within the senior ranks of the royal family, a royal source confirms to PEOPLE — likely meaning talks betweenQueen Elizabeth,Prince CharlesandPrince William.
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Prince Andrew, 61, will likely retain his title as the Duke of York and keep his place in the line of succession to the throne, which is currently ninth behindPrince HarryandMeghan Markle’s two children. However, he will no longer use the style “His Royal Highness” in any official capacity.
source: people.com
