Prince Andrew settles sexual abuse suit ‘in principle,’ accuser’s lawyer says

Prince Andrew has reached a settlement “in principle” with Virginia Giuffre, a woman who brought a law suit against the British royal, alleging he sexually abused her when she was a teenager.

David Boies, an attorney for Giuffre, wrote in a letter to Judge Lewis A. Kaplan filed Tuesday that the two parties “reached an out of court settlement.” He said the settlement amount will not be disclosed.

The attorney also said Andrew “intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.”

Giuffre, 38, filed a lawsuit against Andrew in August, accusing him of rape and sexual abuse on three different occasions when she was 17. 

Giuffree said Epstein introduced her to Andrew in London in 2001. A photo has since circulated of Giuffre and Andrew, with Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell in the background. The lawsuit claims that Maxwell forced her to have sex with Andrew.

A jury in December found Maxwell guilty of five counts connected to her work with Epstein.

Andrew in a 2019 interview, however, said he does not remember meeting Giuffre, and said a report of them having sex “didn’t happen,” according to the BBC.

Days after the interview aired the British royal said he would “step back from public duties for the foreseeable future.” He said it became clear that “the circumstances relating to my former association with Jeffery Epstein has become a major disruption” to his family’s work and the operations of charities he supports.

Andrew had asked that the lawsuit against him from Giuffre be thrown out, but Kaplan rejected the request. Andrew was slated to appear for a deposition in the coming weeks and answer questions from Giuffre’s attorneys under oath, The New York Times noted.

Giuffre has also accused Epstein of sexual abuse. The two entered into a settlement in November 2009 — made public last month — in which Epstein agreed to pay Giuffre $500,000 if she dropped the lawsuit against him.

Boies, in his letter on Tuesday, said “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. 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,” he added.

The lawyer also said Andrew “has never intended to malign Ms. Giuffre’s character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks.”

Boise said the two parties “anticipate filing a stipulation of dismissal of the case” within 30 days. He said that in the meantime, the parties ask that the court “suspend all deadlines and hold the action in abeyance.”

Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in August 2019. The New York City Medical Examiner later determined that he died by suicide from hanging.

The Hill reached out to Prince Andrew and Giuffre for comment.

This story was updated at 1:06 p.m.