Prince Andrew has paid off accuser Virginia Giuffre after reaching an out-of-court settlement last month, court documents show.
The settlement means the Duke of York no longer faces a duty trial on claims he had sexually abused and raped Giuffre on three separate occasions when she was 17.
United States District State Court Judge Lewis A. Kaplan now must sign the order for the civil case to be closed, although Lizzie Robinson, Royal Producer at ITV News, has described this as 'just a formality'.
According to the Telegraph, the financial deal is understood to exceed £12 million, including a £2 million contribution to Giuffre's sex trafficking charity – thought to have been paid by the Queen.
Advert
The royal was accused by Giuffre of forcing her to have sex at a property belonging to Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 17.
On 15 February, the two reached a 'settlement in principle', with one of the documents submitted to the court reading: “Virginia Giuffre and Prince Andrew have reached an out of court settlement.
“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 that 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 in standing up for themselves and others.
“He pledges to demonstrate his regret for his association with Epstein by supporting the fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims.”
Buckingham Palace previously announced that Prince Andrew would be defending the case as a private citizen, but a number of commentators claimed that would not stop him being helped by money from the Queen’s private wealth.
David McClure, author of Royal Privilege: The Queen’s True Worth, said a settlement could be 'in the order of several million dollars'.
He told the PA news agency: “That raises the question: ‘does he have the money?'”
There have also been reports Andrew had been trying to sell a chalet in the Swiss resort of Verbier, which he bought for £13 million in 2014 with his ex-wife, Sarah, Duchess of York.
Mr McClure added: “The very fact he had to sell, it does show he had some money but he didn’t have lots of money.
“So where does the money come from? I think more than likely the Queen.”
He said if money did come from the Queen it 'more than likely would have come from the Duchy of Lancaster, which is described as the Queen’s private estate'.
McClure added that the source of any settlement funds to Andrew is of 'tremendous public interest', and called for the royals to 'come clean and say where the money came from'.
Topics: UK News
Jess Hardiman