Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre have reached a settlement. Although this was always a likely outcome, the statement is worth probing in detail. Andrew accepts that Giuffre is a “victim of abuse”, and contrary to his interview with Newsnight, now “regrets his association” with Jeffrey Epstein. However, there is no admission of liability or statement of innocence regarding the allegations of sexual assault that Giuffre made against him. For Andrew, these remain hanging in the air, as he has not cleared his name in court.
In the year of the Queen’s platinum jubilee, this is best outcome possible for the royal family. Until the settlement was announced, the prospect of a full trial – Andrew giving evidence and a constant drip of stories from both sides – would have overshadowed events planned for later this year. Now, with almost all royal duties and numerous titles stripped from him and his reputation in tatters, the best thing Andrew can do for the monarchy is maintain an extremely low profile.
Yet some questions remain. Most obvious is the amount of the settlement, the donation Andrew has promised Giuffre’s charity in support of victims’ rights, and how both of these will be paid. Andrew and Giuffre have agreed for the amount of the settlement to remain confidential, but it has been reported to be £12million. The question of how Andrew can afford this needs an answer. Reports suggest that he has sold his ski chalet, apparently worth £18m, after settling a debt. The remaining proceeds will go some of the way to fund the settlement, but the rest will reportedly come from the Queen.
