NEW YORK — Prince Andrew took a royal beating Tuesday in a sudden Manhattan court settlement for his alleged sexual assault of a 17-year-old girl provided by Jeffrey Epstein.
The 61-year-old British royal, who had previously disparaged and denied ever meeting accuser Virginia Giuffre, agreed to the unexpected and reportedly pricey deal. The amount of the payout was not made public, but reports in the British media put the cost at $13.5 million.
“Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Miss 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,” read the brief statement filed in Manhattan Federal Court.
