Prince Andrew Settles Civil Suit with Virginia Giuffre
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, settles Virginia Giuffre's civil sexual abuse lawsuit out of court, agreeing to pay a reported multi-million pound settlement and support a charitable donation. He makes no admission of guilt.
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On February 15, 2022, it was announced that Prince Andrew, Duke of York, had reached a civil settlement with Virginia Giuffre, ending the lawsuit Giuffre had filed in August 2021 in which she alleged Andrew had sexually abused her when she was a minor — a trafficking victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
The settlement terms were largely confidential, but reports indicated Andrew agreed to pay several million pounds and would make a donation to Giuffre’s charitable foundation supporting victims of trafficking. The settlement included no admission of liability or wrongdoing by Andrew.
Andrew had previously contested the lawsuit on jurisdictional grounds, arguing that a previous settlement Giuffre had reached with Epstein in 2009 barred her claims against Andrew. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan rejected that argument in January 2022, allowing the case to proceed, which appeared to accelerate the settlement decision.
The settlement represented the most significant consequence the Epstein scandal produced for a member of a reigning royal family. Andrew also permanently stepped back from all public royal duties.
His brother King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) reportedly applied pressure for a resolution that would limit further reputational damage to the monarchy.