There are calls for clarity over Prince Andrew’s role in public life and how he will fund a financial settlement, after settling the US civil sexual assault case brought by Virginia Giuffre.
The Duke of York agreed to pay an undisclosed sum as part of the settlement, and accepted Ms Giuffre had suffered as a victim of abuse.
He made no admission of liability and has always denied the allegations. American lawyer Lisa Bloom said it was a huge victory for Ms Giuffre. “This is a monumental win for Virginia,” said Ms Bloom, who represents several of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s victims – adding that it was a win “for everyday people… standing up against the rich and powerful”.
Ms Giuffre had been suing the Duke of York, claiming he sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17 – which Prince Andrew has repeatedly denied.
On Tuesday it was announced they had reached an out-of-court settlement. A statement from their lawyers said the duke would pay an undisclosed sum to Ms Giuffre and make a “substantial donation” to Ms Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights.
It also said the duke regretted his association with Epstein. Prince Andrew had previously told BBC Newsnight in 2019 he did not regret being friends with Epstein.
But no details of the payout to Ms Giuffre have been made public – and there are calls for more detail about where the money will be coming from.
Although the exact amount of the financial settlement has not been revealed, reports have speculated that it could run into millions of pounds. The duke receives a Royal Navy pension and a stipend from the Queen’s Duchy of Lancaster income.
Public or private purse
Kate Macnab, a lawyer at Reeds Solicitors, says: “It is likely there will be some demands to know where the payment is coming from – public or private purse?”
And Graham Smith from the anti-monarchy group Republic said taxpayers deserved to know where the money for the settlement was coming from.
Speaking to BBC One’s Breakfast programme, Gloria Allred, a US attorney who has represented a number of Epstein’s victims, said the statement confirming the settlement was “vague” and would have been “carefully negotiated”.
“It’s clear that the prince is not saying that he admits that he did anything wrong,” she said.
“It’s interesting that he does say that she has suffered as a victim of abuse. But what does this mean? He doesn’t say abuse by whom, he doesn’t say sexual abuse, he doesn’t say that he had anything to do with her, he doesn’t say when it occurred.”
Ms Allred said the “war between the two parties… will now end”, but added it remained possible that Giuffre could testify in future court cases.
“No settlement such as this one can ever require that an accuser remain silent in the criminal justice system,” she said.
“In other words, she could speak to law enforcement. A prosecutor could decide to file criminal charges, in which case, Virginia could testify if called on.”
Also speaking to BBC Breakfast, Liz Stein, one of Epstein’s accusers, said the settlement had come as a shock, but taking the case to trial would have been “incredibly difficult” for Ms Giuffre.
“I think that what Virginia wanted more than anything else was validation and I think that in the settlement she got that,” she said.
“Whatever he lost as a result of this could never compare to what the victims of Epstein, Maxwell, and the men that we were trafficked to have lost from our lives,” she said.
“There’s no amount of money that could compensate for that.”
Evils of sex trafficking
In the statement on Tuesday, Prince Andrew pledged to support “the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims”.
Speaking on BBC Newsnight about the ways in which Prince Andrew can do that, Ms Bloom said: “I am sure that his money would be welcomed in organisations that are struggling to help victims everyday.
“In terms of his personal participation, probably not.”
Former Royal Navy officer Rear Adm Chris Parry, who was Prince Andrew’s flight commander, added: “I think really he should look to a private life and enjoy essentially what is a very good privileged lifestyle. But I think he should stay out of the public eye.”
He said it was “good to see that he’s done the decent thing” – but that Prince Andrew “has made some bad choices” and “needs to surround himself with better friends”.
Source: bbc.com
