In the past few years, Prince Andrew has had to answer for his connection to convicted
sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Earlier this year, The Mail on Sunday reported that Virginia Roberts Giuffre had launched
legal action against Prince Andrew, whom she accused of sexually assaulting her in 2001
when she was only 17 years old.
According to Giuffre, she was allegedly trafficked by Prince Andrew in Epstein's Manhattan mansion
and other locations.
Giuffre also received compensation from Epstein in 2009 as part of a separate lawsuit.
According to Insider, it was during a 2015 defamation case she brought against Epstein
and Ghislaine Maxwell that she first alleged that Prince Andrew had sexually assaulted
her.
However, at that time, her allegation against Prince Andrew was struck from the record by
the judge who claimed that it was not pertinent to the case at hand.
In August 2021, Giuffre filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew.
At the time, she said via her lawyers in a statement to ABC News,
"I am holding Prince Andrew accountable for what he did to me.
The powerful and the rich are not exempt from being held responsible for their actions.
I hope that other victims will see that it is possible not to live in silence and fear,
but one can reclaim her life by speaking out and demanding justice."
"He knows what happened."
For his part, Prince Andrew still denies Giuffre's claim.
As he told the BBC in a 2019 interview,
"We never had any sort of sexual contact whatever."
On Tuesday, it was revealed through a court filing that Virginia Giuffre had settled her
sexual abuse lawsuit against Prince Andrew outside of the court.
The amount of money that Giuffre received from Prince Andrew is unknown.
Upon receiving the money, Giuffre agreed to drop the lawsuit against Prince Andrew.
The court filing said, per CNBC,
"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."
The filing continued,
"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."
Despite the fact that Giuffre's lawsuit has been dropped, it's likely that Andrew will
continue to be impacted by it.
In January 2022, Buckingham Palace released a statement, revealing,
"With The Queen's approval and agreement, The Duke of York's military affiliations and
Royal patronages have been returned to The Queen [...] The Duke of York will continue
not to undertake any public duties and is defending this case as a private citizen."
Aside from stripping him of his military titles and patronages, the royal family has also
reportedly been distancing themselves from Prince Andrew amid his trial.
According to Us Weekly, Prince William was the one who helped Queen Elizabeth come to
the decision to strip her son of his military titles and patronages.
In the past few months, Prince William has been especially critical of his uncle.
As a source told The Sunday Times,
"Any suggestion there isn't gratitude for the institution, anything that could lead
the public to think that senior members of the family aren't grateful for their position,
[William thinks] is really dangerous."
Despite the fact that Queen Elizabeth delivered this blow to Prince Andrew, it was likely
a tough decision for her.
In fact, Prince Andrew has long been considered her favorite son, and royal expert Penny Junor
told The Mirror,
"I think the Queen has always had a bit of a blind spot when it comes to Prince Andrew."
Prince Andrew's daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are said to be struggling
to cope with the allegations regarding their father's actions.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told Good to Know,
"The Yorks are a close-knit family and this will be devastating for them [...] They only
perform a very few royal duties.
However, any expansion of their roles, which was a possibility as there are fewer senior
royals and many of them are no longer young, is now impossible for the foreseeable future."
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available.
Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline
at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).