The son of Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, the Duke of York, Prince Andrew, entered into a pre-trial agreement with American Virginia Giuffre in a civil rape lawsuit, reports The New York Times.
Prince Andrew will pay Giuffra compensation, the amount of which was not disclosed by the parties. In addition, under the terms of the pre-trial agreement, the prince will make a donation to a fund that supports victims of sexual violence.
On January 13, Prince Andrew lost his royal patronage and all military ranks, Buckingham Palace reported. The move came after the prince’s lawyers failed to persuade a US judge to dismiss a civil rape lawsuit, Reuters reported.
In 2019, Giuffre told NBC that she was the victim of so-called “sex trafficking,” in which young girls were brought against their will to “meet rich clients.” Such “meetings” were organized by American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was later accused in the United States of forcing minors into sexual slavery. Epstein committed suicide in prison. Giuffre and several other women claim that they were all victims of Epstein, who forced minors into prostitution.
The prince himself later stated that he had no relationship with Giuffre. These words were contained in an official statement from Buckingham Palace, made on behalf of the prince, which also said that these accusations were “false and without any basis.”