Prince Andrew has paid off his alleged sex accuser Virginia Giuffre bringing to a close her seven-month legal fight that has left the Duke's reputation in the gutter.
The reported £12million pay off was finally made after claims Prince Charles was forced to stump up more than half the bill as part of a loan to his brother.
Despite the civil case finally being settled, it has left disgraced Andrew with little hope of every making a return to public life.
Today, a joint ‘‘Stipulation of Dismissal’ notice was made public by a New York court where the case was being heard which called for the action to be discharged “with prejudice”.
Within the document published it stated that each side would cover its own costs and legal fees.
The Duke, 62, reached an out of court settlement with Ms Giuffre last month, according to Mirror Online.
He demanded a trial by jury over claims the Prince sexually abused her on three separate occasions.
The mum-of-three alleged that in 2001 when she was 17 – a minor in US law – she was trafficked to London by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to have sex with Andrew.
Ms Giuffre also alleged she was forced to have sex with the prince at Epstein’s home in New York and the US Virgin Islands.
The Duke has always denied the claims and did not admit liability as part of the settlement.
As part of the payout, it included a £2m contribution to Ms Giuffre’s sex trafficking charity thought to have been paid by the Queen.
When the settlement was announced, Andrew issued a statement in which he acknowledged Ms Giuffre’s victimhood and that his pal Epstein sex-trafficked young girls.
The Duke said he regretted his association with the billionaire, but did not admit to having sexually abused Ms Giuffre.
He did not acknowledge or apologise for having publicly maligned her, only asserting he never intended to do so.
Andrew took the opportunity to commend Ms Giuffre, 38, and the other victims’ “bravery”.
We’ll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
