Prince Andrew and his accuser Virginia Giuffre have settled out of court in the civil sex claim filed in the US.
In a letter submitted to the United States District Court on Tuesday, Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies wrote jointly with Andrew’s lawyers to say that the parties had “reached a settlement in principle”.
Court documents show the duke will make a “substantial donation to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights”.
Andrew has also pledged to “demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein” by supporting the “fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims”.
Ms Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, made the claim against Andrew for damages in her home country of the US, claiming she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein, Andrew’s friend, to have sex with the royal when she was 17, a minor under US law.
What did the settlement say?
An attachment to the letter announcing the settlement gave brief details of the agreement between Andrew and Ms Giuffre but indicated the sum would not be disclosed.
It read: “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement.
“The parties will file a stipulated dismissal upon Ms Giuffre’s receipt of the settlement (the sum of which is not being disclosed).
“Prince Andrew intends to make a substantial donation to Ms. Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
“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.
“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.”
Responding to the settlement, Mr Boies said: “I believe this event speaks for itself.”
In January, the duke’s lawyers submitted 11 reasons why the case against him should be dismissed, saying he demanded a trial by jury.
What have Ms Giuffre and Prince Andrew said about the decision?
Mr Boies said his client and legal team were looking forward to “confronting” the royal about his “denials”.
Representatives of the duke said they would not be commenting further than what was said in the documents submitted to the court.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on the development.
Sky’s royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said: “It has to be said, this settlement has come out of the blue.
“In recent weeks and months we have simply seen ongoing brinkmanship between the two sides…
“And certainly in recent weeks it did appear this case was heading to trial and we know the judge had put that potential date in the diary.
“But now a settlement has been reached.”
What was the civil case against Prince Andrew?
Ms Giuffre claimed the duke sexually assaulted her on three occasions after she was first sex-trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein at the age of 16.
The first alleged incident was in London in 2001. She claimed she was introduced to Prince Andrew by Epstein and his then-girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
She claimed that after the three of them visited a nightclub, she had sex with Andrew at Maxwell’s Belgravia home.
The civil case also accused Andrew of assaulting Ms Giuffre on two other occasions – once inside Epstein’s New York mansion and another time on his private island, Little St James.
The duke has always denied the allegations.
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