First Prince Andrew wanted to defend himself personally in court, now he gives in. The end of the dispute with Virginia Giuffre is set to cost him up to £12million – but the box office is said to be helping the monarch forgo more unrest.
With the agreement, Prince Andrew admits no personal guilt.
After much trouble and damage to the reputation of the royal family, Britain’s Prince Andrew has rendered his mother an important service. The Queen should be pleased that her 70th anniversary on the throne will not coincide with a court hearing of her second eldest son. Andrew has reached an agreement with Virginia Giuffre to settle the civil lawsuit in which Giuffre accused him of sexual abuse. The British Times wrote that the agreement announced on Tuesday was worth its weight in gold for the royal family.
A “party prince” gone astray
Prince Andrew has always denied the crimes, which are said to have happened more than twenty years ago and when Giuffre was still a teenager. Giuffre had fallen into the clutches of convicted sex offender and millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who, with the help of his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, organized a child sex trade. Andrew and Epstein were friends. Known as the “party prince,” the royal is said to have forced Giuffre to have sex at least three times: at Maxwell’s home in London, at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion and on his private island in the US Virgin Islands.
Now 61-year-old Andrew and 38-year-old Virginia Giuffre have settled the case in an American court before a hearing, probably in the summer, and the prince would have had to testify under oath. It was to be feared that these performances would not have ended well for him. On previous occasions, Andrew had shown little sympathy for abuse victims and defended his relationship with offender Epstein. When Giuffre remarked that he had sweated profusely when they met, Andrew came up with a particular counter-speech: Since serving in the Falklands War, he had been unable to break out in a sweat for medical reasons.
The settlement, with Andrew not admitting guilt, comes at a price. According to British media reports, it amounts to 10 to 12 million pounds (up to 15 million francs). Andrew will pay this sum to Giuffre and her charity to protect victims of sexual abuse. Now there is debate in the UK about where Andrew is getting the money from. A few years ago his personal fortune was estimated at £5million.
Does the Queen help with money?
Explosive is the question of whether the Queen will support her son to shelve the affair. The Daily Telegraph reports that the monarch is funding at least part of Andrew’s indulgence payment. There is no official comment on this. The Queen derives an independent income from the Duchy of Lancaster, which is not a geographically self-contained duchy but a collection of lands, real estate and assets. The Duchy is administered for the benefit of the reigning monarch, but since the royal estates ultimately belong to the British people, there is now debate as to whether the taxpayer is thus making up for Andrew’s wrongdoing.
If Elizabeth II gives Andrew a helping hand, that would be a course correction. The royal family has recently attached great importance to distancing itself from the fallen prince. Already in 2019 he had to resign from his royal duties. In January, Andrew was stripped of his military titles and project patronage, and can no longer be addressed as “Royal Highness”. On his 62nd birthday at the end of the week, government buildings will not be specially flagged. Already there are calls for Andrew to relinquish his title of Duke of York.
The royal family tree
It is conceivable that the 95-year-old Queen offered financial support to persuade Andrew to end the dispute. Until the very end, the prince did not indicate that he wanted to settle the process. In October, he accused Giuffre of wanting to enrich himself through the allegations. As recently as January, he confirmed that he would personally defend himself before a grand jury. This threatened to further increase the damage to the reputation of the royal family.
Sudden regret
Now Andrew strikes milder tones. The statement on the settlement said the prince never meant to put Ms Giuffre down and understands that she has suffered both as a victim of abuse and as a target of unfair public attacks. Andrew regrets his relationship with Epstein, who trafficked “countless young girls for many years.” Although Andrew has not responded to the allegations against him, he now wants to demonstrate his support for the victims of sex trafficking.
The Andrew scandal should at least disappear from the forefront British headlines, which will revolve around the Queen’s platinum anniversary in the coming months. February 6th marked the 70th anniversary of Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne. Festivities are planned throughout the year not only on the island but in many Commonwealth countries. The focus in Great Britain is a four-day celebration at the beginning of June, the people get an extra holiday.
Only the core of the Royals still shines
Meanwhile, the smoldering rift with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, in which the royal family was accused of racism, casts a constant shadow. But unlike the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who specifically seek publicity, Andrew is likely to stay away from it for a long time. It remains to be seen whether he will ever play a major role as a royal again after the damage to his reputation. British commentators find it difficult to imagine at the moment.
Prince Charles, who will succeed his mother to the throne, is reportedly considering downsizing the royal business – also in response to the increasingly critical public eye. Prince William, Charles’ first son, and his wife Kate still embody the bright image of the royal family. The Queen herself is considered untouchable. Aside from that, the Windsors are a broken family.