Prince Andrew has settled a civil lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre accusing the Duke of York of sexually abusing her when she was 17.
Here is a look at the lawsuit against Queen Elizabeth II's second son, the settlement and what the dispute means for Prince Andrew.
What were Virginia Giuffre's allegations against Prince Andrew?
Ms Giuffre, also known as Virginia Roberts, sued the duke in New York in 2021.
Ms Giuffre said the prince forced her to have sex with him at the London home of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein, and at properties owned by Epstein. Prince Andrew denied the allegations.
Epstein, a teacher-turned-globetrotting financier, died by suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 at the age of 66 while awaiting trial on sexual abuse charges.
Maxwell, 60, was convicted of sex trafficking and other crimes.
What does the settlement mean?
A settlement is an out-of-court resolution of a civil dispute.
As a result of the settlement, which includes a payment by Prince Andrew to Ms Giuffre, there will be no trial.
Prince Andrew had previously requested a jury trial, and US District Judge Lewis Kaplan had said a trial could begin.
What are the terms of the settlement?
In a joint statement filed in court, lawyers for Prince Andrew and Ms Giuffre did not disclose the sum of Prince Andrew's payment, but said the duke would make a "substantial donation" to Ms Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights.
If the case had gone to trial and Ms Giuffre won, Prince Andrew could have been ordered to pay Ms Giuffre damages. She had asked for an unspecified amount.
Did Prince Andrew admit to anything?
Prince Andrew did not confirm or deny Ms Giuffre's allegations in the statement.
He said he regretted his association with Epstein and would "demonstrate his regret" by supporting victims of sex trafficking.
He also praised Ms Giuffre's "bravery" — an apparent about-face from his earlier argument that her lawsuit was baseless and she was simply seeking money.
"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 statement said.
How has the lawsuit affected Prince Andrew?
The allegations have done significant damage to the prince's reputation. In January Buckingham Palace said Prince Andrew would no longer be known as "His Royal Highness" and that his roles would be handed to other members of the royal family.
He was stripped of his honorary military titles, and he defended the Giuffre case as a private citizen.
Prince Andrew had already stepped down from public duties days after a November 2019 interview with the BBC in which critics said he failed to address key questions about his ties to Epstein.
British royal biographer Penny Junor said it was unlikely Prince Andrew would return to public duties despite the Giuffre case being settled.
Prince Andrew does not face any other pending civil lawsuits in US federal courts.
Could Prince Andrew face criminal charges?
No. Prince Andrew has not been charged criminally, and no criminal charges could have resulted from Ms Giuffre's lawsuit because it was a civil case.
Prince Andrew declined requests by federal prosecutors in the United States for an interview about their inquiry into Epstein's sex trafficking, former Manhattan attorney Geoffrey Berman said in June 2020.
Was Ms Giuffre's lawsuit related to Maxwell's conviction?
No. Ms Giuffre did not testify in Maxwell's criminal trial, and her allegations did not form the basis of any of the six sex abuse counts against her.
Reuters
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2022-02-16 05:39:32Z
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