Prince Andrew: Queen to help pay £12m settlement with Virginia Giuffre

The Queen has already privately funded the Duke's legal case, reportedly costing millions of pounds

Prince Andrew reached an agreement to settle claims that he sexually assaulted Virginia Giuffre decades ago, his accuser’s lawyer said in a court filing on Tuesday. AP

Britain's Prince Andrew has reached an agreement to settle claims that he sexually assaulted a teenage girl, his accuser’s lawyer said in a court filing on Tuesday.

Virginia Giuffre had claimed the British prince was one of several men to whom Jeffrey Epstein “lent” her for abuse.

The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed, but requires Andrew to make “a substantial donation” to Ms Giuffre’s charity that supports victim’s rights.

It has been reported that the total amount that will go to Ms Giuffre and her charity exceeds £12 million ($16m).

The Queen has already privately funded the Duke's legal fight to the tune of millions of pounds and will now partly fund the settlement to allow her son – and the entire royal family – to call a close to the case.

The agreement was announced in a letter to US Federal Judge Lewis A Kaplan by Ms Giuffre’s lawyer, David Boies, who said it was on behalf of both parties.

The letter said: “We write jointly with counsel for defendant to advise the court that the parties reached a settlement in principle of the above-referenced action.”

It goes on to say the parties involved plan to file a “stipulation of dismissal of the case” within 30 days.

"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 filing said.

The letter, signed by Mr Boies, concludes: “We appreciate the time and effort the court has devoted to this matter.”

The settlement spares Andrew from a potentially embarrassing series of disclosures and accusations in the months leading up to and during a trial, which was scheduled to begin late this year.

"It could have been embarrassing, humiliating, and it would have been huge fodder for the tabloid press," royal author and journalist Penny Junor told PA news agency.

"It could have really taken the shine off the Queen's platinum jubilee year."

Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the settlement, Reuters reported.

Lisa Bloom, a lawyer representing some of Epstein's victims, said she and her clients "salute Virginia's stunning courage".

"She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with sexual abuse victims."

Ms Giuffre had claimed that Andrew was one of several powerful men to whom she was "lent" by Epstein for sexual abuse as an underaged teenager.

Andrew has denied Ms Giuffre's accusations that he abused her at Epstein's London mansion and at two of the financier's other properties.

Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting a sex trafficking trial. His former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted last year for grooming young girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. She faces a maximum of 40 years in prison.

During the trial, a US prosecutor alleged Maxwell was "the key" to Epstein's scheme, where he would sexually abuse young girls.

Queen Elizabeth II last month stripped££ Andrew of his honorary roles and he gave up his HRH title. The move, which marked the removal of his official royal life, also stripped the duke of his remaining royal patronages.

Agencies contributed to this report.