Richard Madeley has hit out at Prince Andrew and claims that the royal has finally met his destiny.
Prince Andrew left life in the spotlight in 2019 following a now legendary interview on BBC Newsnight, where he was questioned about his association with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It was revealed this week, that the Prince has now reached an out of court settlement with accuser Virginia Giuffre after she filed a civil sex claim in America.
It means that he has now avoided a potentially explosive trial with the settlement said to be £12million. Andrew has continually denied the allegations against him.
Writing for the Daily Express, Richard said: "It gives me no pleasure to say that for three years I’ve been predicting the Duke’s ruin ‑ and that he’d settle out of court with Virginia Giuffre, who says he sexually assaulted her on three separate occasions when she was 17 and he was already in his 40s.
"I’ve lost count of the times my jaw has hit the floor after the accusations surfaced.
He added: "That Newsnight interview (which he genuinely believed to be a triumph until it was screened to a disbelieving, jeering public); the scurrying from castle to castle to avoid being served court papers; the swerving of any conversation with the FBI, despite promising to co-operate with them; the ludicrous “demand” to have his day in court when a New York judge had already pencilled the Duke’s trial into everyone’s diary; and finally ‑ and most shamefully ‑ the “victim shaming” of Giuffre, the oldest trick in the book and the dirtiest."
"There was no victim shaming in the terms of this week’s settlement. Just ringing praise for 'the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.'
"Not so much a U-turn as a handbrake one."
Richard now reckons there's "no way back for Andrew" following this week's "humiliation".
He wrote: "A steady stream of character witnesses who’ve been unlucky enough to cross his path over the years have revealed what many in the media already knew.
"He’s a deeply unpleasant man ‑ a high-handed, rude, and entitled bully.
"A good friend of ours once had a contract to do some private family work for the Duke and his wife in the days when they were still married.
"My friend ‑ one of the politest and kindest people I know ‑ reported that Sarah Ferguson was: 'Lovely... really warm and friendly.’ And Andrew? 'Easily the rudest and most offensive man I’ve ever met.'
"Indeed, my friend found the Duke so obnoxious that he swiftly resigned from what otherwise would have been a pleasant and well-paid sinecure.
"The Duke has finally met his destiny. Character is fate."
Andrew released a statement in the court documents expressing his regret at his association with Epstein. He also vowed that he would support sex trafficking victims.
The statement said: "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.”
