The Queen and Prince Charles put significant pressure on Prince Andrew to convince him to settle with case with Virginia Giuffre, sources claim.
By dodging a possibly explosive civil trial, it is hoped that the out-of-court deal - believed to be £12 million - will bring a halt to the scandal and prevent the Royal Family suffering any more damage from the fallout.
The Firm were especially eager for a settlement to be agreed so that the court case did not overshadow the Her Majesty's upcoming Platinum Jubilee.
Sources close to the Duke of York say he still “wholly maintains his innocence” and insist he “believes he can still find a way back into public life”, the Mirror reports.
The 61-year-old royal is understood to have finalised the deal with his accuser Ms Giuffre, 38, on Monday afternoon.
Despite the “settlement in principle”, Andrew has not admitted Ms Giuffre’s allegations that she was forced to have sex with him on three occasions in 2001 when she was 17.
But the disgraced royal will make a “substantial donation” to her charity championing victims’ rights and try to restore his reputation by promising to support victims of sex trafficking.
The Mirror understands the total settlement of £12m includes £2m to the charity, leaving her with £10m.
Meanwhile legal sources say the FBI still want to speak to Andrew as part of the criminal inquiry into the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his lover Ghislaine Maxwell. The duke would be classed as a witness in the cases still being probed. British socialite Maxwell, 60, could face a 65-year jail term after being convicted of trafficking young girls for Epstein.
Ms Giuffre, who is American but now lives in Australia, sued Andrew last August in New York, alleging he sexually abused her when she was 17, a minor under US law.
She said she was trafficked around the world as a sex slave to billionaire American Epstein and Maxwell.
Well placed royal sources said Andrew was under “intense pressure from the very top” to ensure a deal was done after a US judge last month rejected the duke’s bid to have the case dismissed.
The ruling meant the prince was facing a full civil trial by jury in the US this year.
Andrew admitted to the Queen on January 12 that his efforts to have the case thrown out had failed.
Her Majesty took advice from Charles and Prince William who was summoned to meet her at Windsor Castle minutes after Andrew broke the news. A source said: “It was made absolutely crystal clear to Andrew he has to sort this mess out.
“It would have been unthinkable for the case to have reached trial under the glare of the international media.
“It has been a disaster from the start and everyone was in agreement it had not only destroyed his reputation but had the capacity to seriously damage that of the monarchy as well. In such an important year for the Queen, enough was enough.”
The duke is understood to have instructed his lawyers to contact Ms Giuffre’s legal team to arrange the details of a settlement at the earliest possible moment.
The deal could not be signed before February 6 – the anniversary of the Queen taking the throne 70 years ago, but with an agreement now reached it will not hang over the family ahead of the national celebrations in June.
Courtiers hope the settlement draws a line under one of the most scandalous and humiliating periods in the modern day Royal Family. A source said: “Everyone is hoping they can start looking towards the Platinum Jubilee celebrations this summer, as well as a Westminster Abbey service to remember the late Prince Philip next month.”
It is understood Andrew will make the £12m payment from the recent sale of his chalet in Switzerland.
In a letter submitted to the United States District Court yesterday, Ms Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies wrote jointly with Andrew’s legal team to say the parties had “reached a settlement in principle”. The document added: “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 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... He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against... sex trafficking, and by supporting victims.”
In court papers in the case, Giuffre had said she “feared death or... other repercussions for disobeying Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew due to their connections [and] wealth”.
She claimed she first had sex with Andrew at the London home of Maxwell in 2001. Ms Guiffre also said that later that year in New York, Maxwell forced her to sit on Andrew’s lap as he touched her, and that the duke forced her to engage in sex acts against her will.
Andrew’s lawyers previously called the lawsuit “baseless” and accused Ms Giuffre of seeking a payout. The duke, recently seen with ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, submitted 11 reasons why the case against him should be dismissed and said he demanded a trial by jury.
Mr Boies had said he and Ms Guiffre were looking forward to “confronting” the royal about his “denials” after challenging him to stop “trying to evade and delay facing his accuser in court”.
Responding to the settlement announcement yesterday, Mr Boies said: “I believe this event speaks for itself.” Andrew’s lawyers said there would be no further comment to the statement.
Buckingham Palace, which has sought to distance itself from Andrew after his disastrous Newsnight interview in 2019, also declined to comment. Royal author Penny Junor said the settlement was likely to be a “huge relief” to the rest of the family.
She added: “Going to trial, it could have been very, very nasty.
“It could have been embarrassing, humiliating. It could have really taken the shine off the Platinum Jubilee year.”
Lawyer Lisa Bloom, who represents eight of Epstein’s victims, said: “We hail Virginia’s victory. She has accomplished what no one else could: getting Prince Andrew to stop his nonsense and side with sexual abuse victims.”
Timeline
February 1999 Flight logs obtained by the Mirror show Prince Andrew flew with Ghislaine Maxwell on board Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet. They visited the financier’s private Caribbean island.
Autumn 1999 Andrew is understood to have hosted both Maxwell and Epstein at Balmoral, Scotland.
February 2000 The trio are spotted at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, owned by Donald Trump.
June 2000 Epstein and Maxwell attend a birthday party at Windsor Castle hosted by the Queen.
December 2000 Andrew invites pair to a “straightforward shooting weekend” on the Queen’s Sandringham estate.
March 2001 Virginia Giuffre alleges Andrew sexually assaults her at Maxwell’s home in Belgravia, London. The photo apparently showing them together was taken at this time. Two further sexual assaults are said to have taken place at Epstein’s New York home and on his Caribbean island. Giuffre was aged 17 at the time.
June 2008 Epstein admits procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute. He is jailed and serves almost 13 months.
December 2010 Andrew visits Epstein in New York following his release.
July 2011 Anger about the New York visit forces Andrew to quit his role as a trade envoy.
April 2015 The allegations that Andrew had sex with Giuffre are made public in American court documents.
August 2019 Epstein is rearrested and charged with sex trafficking offences before being found dead in his jail cell.
November 2019 Andrew agrees to a disastrous BBC interview about the allegations. He claims he could not have had sex with Giuffre because he was visiting Pizza Express. He also refutes evidence about him joining her on a dancefloor by saying he is unable to sweat.
July 2020 Maxwell is arrested on child sex charges.
December 2020 Maxwell is convicted of five of the six charges against her.
January 2022 A New York judge rejects Andrew’s bid to throw out a sex abuse lawsuit launched by Giuffre.The Queen strips him of a range of military titles and royal patronages. Andrew denies he was a co-conspirator of Epstein and asks for a jury trial.
February 2022 He reaches a settlement with Giuffre.
