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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Martin Farrer

‘His final disgrace’: how the papers covered Prince Andrew’s sex assault case settlement

Virginia Giuffre

Prince Andrew’s decision to settle his sex assault case takes precedence on most of the front pages on Wednesday, with many papers reporting that the Duke was ordered by the Queen and Prince Charles to make a deal.

The out-of-court settlement in the US civil case means Andrew makes no admission of guilt over claims by Virginia Giuffre that he sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17, allegations he has repeatedly denied. He had previously said he intended to fight to clear his name in court.

A letter filed with the US judge on Tuesday said the parties had reached a “settlement in principle” for an undisclosed sum.

The Mirror says Andrew was under “intense pressure from the very top” to come to an agreement with his accuser to avoid the risk of any courtroom drama overshadowing the Queen’s 70th Jubilee celebrations this year. “Andrew does £12m deal to halt sex claim”, its main headline says, in a deal done “under Queen and Charles’s orders”.

The Sun’s splash headline is “His final disgrace”, and also reports that the deal – which it claims is worth up to £12m – was made so that the Queen’s big year was not overshadowed. “Lifetime exile from royal duties”, a subhead notes.

The Mail’s front page has the headline “Duke’s final ‘£10 million’ humiliation”, and above that it says that “Andrew settles with accuser in grovelling climbdown – slamming the door on a royal return for ever”.

The Express is in similar territory but wraps it all up in one emphatic headline. “Andrew cuts sex case deal … but there’s no way back”, it says. It puts the deal at £12m.

The Guardian’s headline is “Prince settles Giuffre sex assault case out of court” while on the inside pages royal reporter Caroline Davies writes that the settlement raises lots of questions but answers none about what happened between the prince and Giuffre.

The Telegraph’s main story is headlined “Queen to help pay for £12m settlement”, a claim that might become a big talking point. A pointed commentary by columnist Camilla Tominey promoted across the top of the page says “Royals are better off without Andrew”.

The i has “Prince pays to settle sex assault claims” and the Metro says “Duke pays up at last”.

The Times leads with “Biden doubts Russian withdrawal”, but it does have the Andrew story and picture on the front: “Duke agrees payout to settle sex assault case”.

The Daily Record’s splash is “Andrew’s £12m deal to stop sex claim” while the Yorkshire Post has “Duke settles case on sex assault claim”.

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